Warrior of the Night
by nightowl2010
Summary: Raphael has been wallowing in depression and self-pity after a certain salamandrian female broke his heart. For the past two years he has been "going through the motions" and occasionally drowning his sorrows in women and alcohol. But when a mysterious women appears one night he feels a spark he hasn't felt in years. But things become complicated when she reveals a long kept secret
1. Thoughts of the Past

Chapter One

Two years. Two long years since he had last heard from her. He should have known it would not have worked out in the first place but he loved her. She was everything he ever wanted in a women. Strong, brave, and an amazing warrior. Hell, one of the last times they had spared together she had beaten him to a pulp while she had barely a scratch. It was that same night they had slept together for the first time. That memory and the times after were burned into his memory and his heart. She would visit him many times over the next few years. Sometimes for a few weeks and if he was lucky a few months. It was not long after her four month stay that she returned to her salamandrian home world promising she would return soon.

 _Yeah right soon_ , thought the red masked turtle

Six months had gone by without even an email from her. He tried to contact her multiple time, worrying that she had gotten attacked or worse on her way home. I mean fuck it was not like she was just driving down the street to her house. Finally, he got the message he had been praying for. He saw her name pop up on his screen and his heart will filled with excitement. But that would soon change as he opened the message.

 **"I'm sorry Raph. I know it has been a while since I have gotten ahold of you and I apologize for making you wait so long. I just didn't know how to tell you this. After I returned home I met someone. I will always love you just not in the same way anymore. I wish you and your brothers well. Goodbye** "

Raph did not know it was possible to feel that amount of pain. He did something that day that he had never done before…..cry. He sat in his room alone after reading her final message and cried. His brothers would knock on the door and ask what was wrong. Hell, at one point Donnie had tried to pick the lock but he did not succeed. He had never shown his brothers weakness and he was not going to let them see him in that condition.

It was three days before he emerged from his room to face them.

Now two years later he sits in his room and reads the message. He didn't know why he felt the need to torture himself this way. Possibly to remind him that a giant mutated turtle was never destined for love. " _Well fuck"_ , he thought, " _that idea went out the damn door_." Just last year April, the most beautiful human he had ever met, admitted her feelings for his brother Donnie. They have been happy together ever since. If someone as beautiful as April O'Neil could love a mutant why couldn't someone love him? _"Because you dumbass there is nothing special about you!"_ He would always tell himself. _"You're not a genius, you're not a leader, and you hardly make people laugh with a charming personality…fuck my only talent is hitting things really hard and fucking people up"_

No, he did not look at that message many times to remind him that no one could love a mutated turtle. He looked at that message almost every day to remind him that no one could love HIM. He knew he was a great fighter and that his brothers relied on him. He had saved their dumb asses many times over the years. He knew his best friend Casey thought of him as a brother and they had bonded over beating things to a pulp and sports. Even years later after they met as teen they still hung out on a regular basis. Well, when he wasn't hanging out with his girlfriend. Raph couldn't remember her name mostly because Casey was a player and had many women over time.

He knew that he was loved by his family. That he was sure of. But romantic love from another? NO! This left a hole in his heart he had tried to fill over the years. He would "hook-up" with a mutant girl every once in a while, mutants in the sewers were not as rare as they used to be thanks to the Kraang, but none of them ever stayed to long. Of course he never brought anyone of them home with him to the lair. Hell, he never got to know them long enough too. They were mostly something to occupy him occasionally when the nights got lonely.

When his brothers would refer to him as a "man-whore" he would smile and laugh. He always acted like a confident badass in front of his brothers. Damn he still believed he was a badass when he was with his family. It was when he was alone in the dark that these thoughts of self- loathing would find him. He hated himself for this. How could he let one women tear him down like this? Why did he let that "fucking slut" ruin his view on the world? He had never believed in that sappy soulmate bullshit until he met her.

 _"ok Raph"_ he spoke to himself as he took the last swig off his bottle of rum. _" Get yourself together before someone sees you….or smells you"_

The last thing he needed was the "fearless" leader giving him a lecture about how a ninja's body is a temple and shouldn't be treated this way. It was his fucking body why was it any business of Leo to tell him what to do! All because he was the leader, and had been since they were young, doesn't mean he can tell him what to do with his personal life. He loved his brother but he always had to fight the urge to knock his teeth down his throat.

"RAPH! Time to get to the docks" shouted Leo as he banged on his bedroom door. "Donnie picked up some Foot chatter and apparently they are getting some important shipment!"

 _"Wow speak of the devil and he will appear"_ He joked to himself. "OK IM COMING! Hold your damn horses!"

" _SHIT,SHIT, SHIT"_ he thought _" Where the fuck is the gum or mints."_

He quickly grabbed his red headband off his nightstand. He then began shuffling around his room in a frenzy trying to find something to cover the smell of alcohol. He knew if any one of them found out he had been drinking they would not let him go with them. Maybe beating up some scumbag Foot would get his mind off his depression. He finally found his breath spray under his bed and dowsed his mouth with as much as he could take before the stinging got too much.

 _"There that should do it"_ He took one last look at his computer screen before he ran out his bedroom door and into the shellraiser.


	2. Choices

"Finally" she thought as she took position on top of a building facing the docks.

She had been in New York for four months watching the Foot and waiting for this shipment to come in. She originally came to America to seek out the ninjutsu master Hamato Yoshi. Her sensei back in japan told her to seek him out for the final portion of her training since he had become sick and could not teacher her. He told her that about 25 years ago he had left for New York after Oroku Saki took his family from him. Other than that she did not know where to look.

She had seen things in America that she had never seen before. She remembered how confused and shocked she was when she first came into contact with the alien race who called themselves the Kraang. And if giant pink brains flying around was not strange enough she had come into contact with a few creatures that she could only describe as mutated animals and people. It did not take long for her to figure out that the aliens were behind the mutations she saw. She now knew why everyone in her clan said that American culture was "strange".

The next surprise was how much the Foot controlled the city. She found out that about 9 years ago the leader of the Foot clan, Shredder, had to come to America to seek out Hamato Yoshi. Over the past decade he had moved more and more of his followers to New York leaving just enough in Japan to run his "businesses" there. It was then she knew she had to continue her work in New York that she started in Japan. If she could not locate Hamato Yoshi and finish her training then she could at least complete her life's mission.

And tonight was the perfect night for her to release her power of destruction on the Foot clan. The moon was full and bright in the sky and she could feel the power it supplied her filling her veins. All she had to do was wait for the shipment to reach land and she would destroy them and take their cargo. She had yet to set up a decent base to take the cargo but she would figure it out. She memorized their movements and positions and prepared to attack. Their numbers were unusually high for this type of shipment but on a night like this she knew it would be no problem as long as she had them lined up perfectly. She could only use her power to its full extent for a short time.

 _"There it is!"_ she thought with excitement as she readied both her kodachi. She then began to move closer hiding amongst the other shipping containers on the dock. Then she saw something she had not planned for, _"Great! A robotic fish and a giant skeletal werewolf! New York just keeps getting better and better!"_

She would have to study these two for a little while longer to see how they move and if they have any weaknesses. The fish would be useless without his robotic legs. All she had to do was find the weak point and short circuit them. But he "creepy looking dog" was the one she was concerned about. She could take him down with her strength but then she would have none let for the other 25 Foot soldiers. Or have the ability to acquire and protect the cargo.

It was then she sensed she was not alone. She found the closest dark corner and became one with the shadow and waited. She heard giant footsteps heading towards her location but she did not panic. As a well-trained kunoichi it would take a miracle for them to find her. Her best bet was to wait until they passed. She listened to the footsteps as they got closer and she noticed that there was more than one person heading her way. There was three….no four individuals almost on top of her hiding spot. They took position on the shipping crate above her and she honed in on their conversation.

"Theres the Foot at the docks just like Donnie said. So Leo what's the plan to take them out this time?" said a voice that sounded very deep.

"Take out the Foot?" she thought. So they are here to get a piece of them as well. "This must be the vigilantes that I have heard rumors about around town." She thought thinking how she could use this to her advantage. She decided that she did not just want to hear them she wanted to get a good look at them. So she changed positions so she would have a clear view of the four individuals.

"Holy shit!" she whispered to herself as she tried to figure out what she was looking at.

She knew they were obviously mutants. They were huge mutants at that. They had to be at least 6 foot tall if not more. They had to be extremely strong based on how big their muscles were. Man they had to work out a lot! She then noticed what appeared to be a shell on their backs. Turtles…..they must be mutated turtles! She also made one other conclusion about this team of mutants. They all carried ninja style weapons….which is strange. During her ninja training she was taught to use the environment to her advantage but how could she incorporate four 6 foot talking turtles into her plan to get the shipment away from the Foot. She decided she needed to learn more, it would be a little bit before they unloaded the shipping crate she was looking for anyway. She decided to go full stealth mode and sneak in for a closer look

"I say we just go down there and crack their skulls" said the turtles wearing the red headband and who was the biggest of the four.

That sounded like a great idea to her.

"Raphael, that is not practical. They have more soldiers than normal here tonight along with Fishfish and Rahzar" replied the blue turtle. He must be their leader.

"For once I have to agree with Leo on this one. Plus we don't know what they are getting in on that cargo ship" the orange one chimed in.

" Wow Mikey I think that's the first smart thing you have said all year" this was the final turtle who wore purple. He also seemed to have some sort of technical talents based on the equipment he had with him.

"Well thank you Donnie…Wait….HEY!" Mikey replied. She concluded that he was probably not the smartest of the four.

"Here's the plan guys. Raph and Mikey you deal with Fishface and Rahzar. Keep them occupied while me and Donnie take out some of the Foot soldiers and get a closer look at the shipping containers." Said Leo. "We use the element of surprise to our advantage. Move out!"

After they have moved a safe distance away she took position back on top of the shipping containers. She needed a higher vantage point to see how this plays out. She was formulating a new plan as she reviewed the leaders order. She could wait until the red and orange turtle wore out the other two mutants on the docks and slip passed them. Her only concern was the blue and purple one. Taking out the Foot soldiers worked out great for her but their plan to see what was in the containers would complicate things for her. She did not care about the Foot clans other shipments she was just interesting in one particular cargo container and if they got in the way of this she may have to deal with them.

She looked up to the sky once again. The moon was still shining down on her filling her with power and confidence. But a few clouds have moved into the area. This would normally not be a problem for her but if she had to use on of her particular ninjutsu's she would have to have the moonlight. But she had not have to use that in years her, fighting skills and using just a small bit of her powers had been enough for this last year. With that final thought she became one with the shadows and started to travel to her first objective: Fishface and Rahzar.

She got as close and as high as she could without being seen. When she arrived the turtles called Mikey and Raphael had already initiate a fight with the other two mutants. It did not take her long to conclude that turtles were well trained ninja's. Their level of skill was not something that you pick up overnight either, they must have practiced the art for years. But something else caught her attention. It was their fighting style and moves that seemed so familiar. She had seen them before…learned them…used them! Their fighting style was characteristic of the Hamato clans!

"No…..it cant be…could it" She whispered to herself as she watched. " It has to be….those moves…..those skills are not something you pick up. They must be taught by a ninja master"

She needed more proof before she made to many conclusions. She had not slept very well this last week whiles she investigated when the shipment would come in. Maybe she was seeing things the way she wanted to. As those thoughts past through her mind she sensed something coming her way. She moved her head a few inches to the left just as a shuriken hit the metal container were her head was at just moments ago. As the fighting continued she pulled the shuriken out of the container and she could not believe her eyes. Etched into this shuriken was the Hamato clan symbol…..her clan's symbol. This shuriken was thrown by the one called Mikey.

"MIKEY!" The shout of his name snapped her out of her thoughts and back into reality. She looked down from her perch and she saw what the commotion was about. They smaller orange turtle had been knocked out cold by Rahzar. Rahzar was inching in closer for the final blow….where were the other turtles! She finally spotted them. They were further away from each other than they were moments ago. All three of the remaining turtles were closing in on their injured comrade.

She quickly realized that they were too far away. They were not going to make it before Rahzar finished the unconscious turtle. She had to make a choice: watch someone who could possibly be from her clan die or reveal herself and her abilities and save Mikey. Her choice was made instantaneously as she grabbed the kusarigama strapped to her side. She looked to the moon as she sprang into action as she disappeared into a flash of light.


	3. The New Girl

Raphael wondered how the hell everything went wrong so fast. He thought this battle would be a cake walk. I mean it was just Fishface and Rahzar, right? They had been battling them on and off for years. The Foot Clan was a stain on New York that was harder get rid than they originally thought. As his brothers continued their training and learned new skills so did the enemy. It had become a game of who would out do who first. The Foot had become more organized over the last few years that by the time Mikey and Raph figured out what they were doing it was too late.

Over the course of the battle they were slowly started separating the turtle further from one another. The enemy had figured out long ago that when one brother was in trouble the others would come to defend. But what if they were too far away to do anything? It was a brilliant plan that Raph and Mikey fell for quickly. Rahzar slowly moved his battle with Mikey to the north and Fishface moved his battle with Raph to the south. Once they were far enough apart they would strike.

Raph watched out of the corner of his eye and he saw Rahzar hit Mikey with a whole shipping container knocking him out cold. Rahzar wasted no time closing in to deliver the final blow with his razor sharp claws.

"MIKEY!" Raph shouted at the top of his lungs as he grabbed one of Fishface's robotic legs and ripped it off. He then threw him into the off the dock and into the water and started running to his fallen brother.

His other two brothers had noticed their younger brother was down as well. They plowed through Foot soldiers like bowling pins on their way to help Mikey. But they were too far away…. they would not make it in time. He had to run faster! He was so close but yet not close enough to save his brother. He realized he would not make it and that he would see his baby brother die in front of him. Tears streaked Raph's eyes as he tried to push himself harder but he could go no faster. He watched as Rahzar's claws came down on Mikey's neck.

"NO!" he screamed through tear filled eyes.

He saw a small flash of light out of the corner of his eyes as he watched he brother die. But….he didn't. Rahazar's claws stopped right at the point of contact and froze in place. It took Raph a moment to realize that the weighted end of a kusarigama chain was wrapped around his arm hold him back. At the other end of that chain stood a mysterious person.

"A miracle" Raph thought.

This mysterious ninja was dressed in skin tight black attire with their face completely covered to conceal their identity. He then realized that this was not just a ninja but a kunoichi, a women. From what he could tell she was short and lean. She stood just a little over 5 feet tall, a midget compared to him and his brothers. But somehow this slender kunoichi was holding back a mutant over twice her size. He had no idea where she came from or who she was but he was glad she was here.

He started running toward his brother again. He had to get him out of harm's way because he didn't know how long she could hold Rahzar back. He then watched she changed her stance and planted her feet into the ground. She wrapped the chain once more around her hands and did something that he didn't think possible.

Raph watched as this tiny kunoichi swung the giant mutant dog like a rag doll by his arm and smash him into some shipping containers. They both disappeared out of site as they continued their battle. Him and his brothers reached Mikey at the same time and immediately checked him. He was breathing and his heart rate was stable. Besides being unconscious he was totally fine somehow.

"Raph, who the fuck is that!" Leo shouted as he motioned to the mystery women.

" I have no fucking clue, how the hell would I know!" replied Raph in a defensive tone. " But she saved Mikey's life we might want to return the favor don't u think!"

"Ok, Donnie you stay here with Mikey and guard him. Raph you and me are going to check on our new friend" ordered the fearless leader.

Raph and Leo listen to the sounds of destruction to locate where they went. They had somehow gotten farther away from the initial battle site than they thought. She had lead him into a part of the dock that was clear of any shipping containers…well anything for that matter. She had her kusarigama strapped to her side and she was using double kodachi swords as her primary weapon. Raph stepped forward ready to join the fight but he was stopped by his brother standing in front of him.

"No, Raph not yet. We need to see what she can do. If things go south we will get her out of there" Leo stated to which Raph surprisingly didn't argue too. He was curious as well. She had proved so far that she could hold her own.

They watched as the two dark figures began to fight once more. The kunoichi ran head on toward Rahzar but stopped short just inches before she made contact. She jumped high enough so she was eye level with the mutant dog. Then a small flash of light appeared in front of him and she was gone. Just gone. A split second later another small flash of light appeared behind him and out of nowhere the women reappeared and planted her foot square in the back of his head sending him flying. The strength of the hit was not possible for her size. Something was not right here.

"Do you see that Raph?"

"What the fact that she can teleport or the fact that she had inhuman strength?"

"Well there is that but im referring to her style of fighting. Seems familiar doesn't it?"

"Now that you mention it yeah….its similar to ours."

"Exactly."

The two brothers fell silent as they thought about what this could mean. Their attention was soon drawn back to the fight when a primal roar came from Rahzar. The kunoichi was now engaging him in close combat with her double kodachi. Her skills were quite impressive as she was able to block every one of Rahzar's attacks. She used one of her blades to block an attack and she saw an opening to land a blow with the other, slicing the dogs leg. Her victory was short lived however because when she turned to back off he quickly countered sending her rolling down the dock.

The bothers watched closely wondering if this was the moment they should intervene. A blow like that should have at least broken some ribs or knocked her out. They watched as she lifted her head and looked at the moon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them her eyes were not normal. They were glowing white as she returned to a battle stance. She blinked again and they returned back to normal as she made her move. Her movements were becoming much slower as the battle continued and the brothers knew she would wear out soon, super human or not.

She reached into the pouch connected to her thigh and grabbed a set of three shuriken. With lightning fast speed she threw them in Rahzar's direction. He of course avoided them easily but the goal was not to strike him it was to draw his attention elsewhere. While he defended himself for the shuriken she had started towards him at full speed. By the time he realized what she was doing her palm made contact right in the center of his chest with full force. He flew backwards as the air was knocked out of him. He tried desperately to catch his breath but it was not use all he could do was barely gasp enough air to stay alive.

" I could do this all night but you look….out of breath" she smirked at him.

The brothers knew that this was just a bluff. They could tell by her movements that she didn't have much left in her. Whatever abilities she was using on him was clearly draining her strength. But the wore out dog fell for her bluff and started to back off.

"I'll see you again sweetcheeks, but next time it won't end this way!" Rahzar gasped out as he made his retreat.

"Ok Raph, time to get some answers" said the fearless leader as him and his brother landed on the dock behind where she stood"

" Nice of your two to finally join the party instead of being little wall flowers" She said as sarcastically as she could. She then turned around to face the two giant turtles.

As she faced them she slowly reached across her next to release the cloth that was covering her face and head. When her face was fully revealed Raph felt his heart skip a beat. She was beautiful! Her hair was long, blonde and almost glowed in the moonlight. She was slender, fit and her curves were perfect for human standards. But that was not the thing that caught his attention the most. It was her eyes….they were the lightest blue he had ever seen and they too seemed to just glow in the moonlight. She looked like an angel. "An angel that could kick some serious ass!" he thought to himself.

Leo too seemed to be struck by the mysterious angel. For once the leader was lost for words, something Raph though he would never see in this lifetime. He knew it was up to him to start asking this women some questions.

" So why did you save our brother?" Raph said.

"Brother? hmmm interesting" she questioned

" Hey that's not an answer to my question! You better start talking!" Raph demanded.

" I apologies for my brothers rudeness. But we are curious why you would help us" Leo finally spoke ignoring the heated gaze his brother was giving him.

She smiled at them while she reached towards her chest. She grabbed the garment and pulled it down over her shoulder revealing a good portion of her upper chest. Raph felt his heart jump into his throat as he watched her sensual movements. He did not even notice what she was showing them at first. His mind was on something else. When he finally got his mind out of the gutter he noticed a tattoo on her upper chest. On closer inspection he realized it was the Hamato clans symbol. She then reached into her pocket and pulled a shuriken. One of their shurikens.

" The one you call Mikey inadvertently threw this at my head. When I noticed my clans symbol etched into the shuriken I figured I could not let him be killed before I could question him." She said in a mocking tone. " I was sent her from Japan by my sensei to seek out a man by the name of Hamato Yoshi. He told me that about 25 years ago he left Japan and moved to New York. I have been here four months searching with not so much as a lead. I watched you fight and it is the style of the Hamato clan. Only a ninja master could train you in this art. So I am going to assume you know where Hamato Yoshi is."

" What do you want with him?" Raph asked in a threatening tone. She knew Master Splinters real name this cannot be a good thing.

" As I stated I was sent here from Japan to seek him out. I will not say anymore until I am able to speak with him in person and by the tone of your voice I can tell that you know where he is." She smiled.

"What should we do Leo?" Raph whispered quietly to his bother.

"I don't know but I think we should talk to Splinter before we bring out "guest" home with us" Leo said quietly back to his brother.

While him and his brother went over their options he noticed something move from the corner of his eye. The kunoichi had fallen down on one knee and he noticed that she did not look so great. He heard her hiss as she placed her palm against her side and pull her hand away. She then stared at her hand that was covered in a dark red fluid. She was bleeding and rapidly at that. This injury must have been dealt before him and his brother arrived on the scene. He and his brother watched as she struggled to get back on two feet. Before either of them could say anything their t-phones rang. It was Donnie.

"Hey, whatever you are doing I would wrap it up fast because the foot are sending reinforcements!" he shouted. "Mikey is still unconscious and I need help getting him in the shellraiser before I can't fend them off!"

"Ok, Donnie I am on my way!" Leo said assertively as he turned to his brother. " I am going to go help Donnie. She needs some serious medical attention and we cannot just leave her out here after she saved Mikey's life. I will go with Donnie and Mikey in the shellraiser. You take her the back way in and Donnie can patch her up."

"Fine" Raph said as he watched his brother race to the other side of the docks where they left Mikey. When Leo said he wanted him to take her the back way that meant make sure she has no clue where they are going so their lairs location stays a secret. This should be fun the thought. She was obviously rather intelligent and not easily fooled. But she was bleeding out so he could use that to his advantage. This would probably go faster if he just carried her so he walked to her and reached out his arms to grab her.

" Leave me be! I cannot go with you just yet I need to finish something." She said weakly.

"Look I hate playing babysitter so can we just hurry this up and get going. You're in no condition to do anything right now and you know it. Stop being so fucking stubborn and let me help you." He growled at her.

She met his gaze with a glare of her own. Even now when she was weak she had fire in her eyes. "Fine! But your not carrying me….I…cccaan" she stuttered as she passed out from blood loss. Before her limp body could hit the ground Raph caught her. He knew he had to get her to Donnie immediately. At least now he would not have to cover his tracks. He found the nearest manhole and disappeared into the sewers with his precious cargo.


	4. Consequences of Our Actions

Master Splinter sat in his dojo and enjoyed the silence. He loved his sons but sometimes it was nice to steal a moment for himself. The last 25 years had been the craziest time of his life. His sons had battled the Foot Clan, aliens and even went into space for a time. Nothing they could say or do could surprise him anymore. From the time he was mutated from a human into a rat he had seen it all. Or so he thought.

He heard a commotion as his sons entered the lair. He wondered what had them all worked up. Splinter's mind went to worst case scenario and he races from his dojo to make sure his sons were not injured. When he arrived in the living room Donnie and Leo were helping Mikey onto the couch. He had taken a serious blow to the head and has a severe concussion but was going to be ok. Leo and Donnie seemed to ok but where was his other son. Even on their worst days they never separated from each other in times of conflict.

"Leonardo! Where is your brother?" Splinter demanded in a stern voice.

" He's fine sensei and he will be here shortly. But I need to see in the dojo" Leo said in a flat tone.

Splinter followed his son into the dojo. He and his eldest son would meet here regularly when he was younger. Mostly to talk about his concerns as a leader and for one-on-one training sessions. But as the years passed and Leonardo became confident in his abilities as a leader these sessions where far and few between. He could sense that something was upsetting his son and he wondered what it could be. They sat in the dojo and faced each other as Leo began to explain.

" We ran into some complications tonight. We arrived at the docks and were met with dozens of Foot soldiers along with Rahzar and Fishface." Leo took a deep breath before continuing his explanation. " I separated us into two groups, sending Mikey and Raph to deal with Rahzar and Fishface. Looking back that was not the wisest choice I could have made. They were able to separate us far from each other and during this time Rahzar almost killed Mikey. We watched as he was about to deal the death blow but we were too far away to stop it."

Splinter noticed something about Leo's eyes. There were shimmering the in the dim light. It caught Splinter mildly off guard when he concluded that Leo was fighting back tears. He could tell that the picture of that moment was etched in his mind. "Continue my son".

" At the last second a flash of light appeared behind Rahzar and a kunoichi stopped him from killing Mikey by capturing him in the chains of a kusarigama". He paused as he tried to figure out the words. "she then displayed superhuman strength as she tossed him around like a rag doll. After we determined that Mikey was ok me and Raph ran to find the pair. We decided to just observe the battle and of course intervene if she could not hold her own" Leo paused once more.

" The crazy thing is that she did hold her own. Her fighting style was the same that you have been teaching us all these years. Not only that but she could….teleport for lack of a better words. She could come and disappear will little flashes of light. When Rahzar hit her with all his might we thought she was down. Any normal human, even a well-trained ninja should have been injured. But then she looked up and her eyes started to glow. It was…insane! When she finished the battle with Rahzar we went to meet her"

"We asked her why she was helping us and she showed us a tattoo on her chest. It was the Hamato clans symbol, Master Splinter. She claim that when she was a shuriken we had thrown with our symbol etched into it she could not let Mikey die without answering her questions." Leo then fell silent.

Splinter could tell that Leonardo was not telling him the rest of this intriguing story. He urged him to continue.

"She knows who you are sensei! She claims she was sent by her sensei in Japan to seek out Hamato Yoshi….you. She refused to tell us what was going on until she met with you. We did not get to ask her anymore questions because we realized she was injured and bleeding out. I put Raph in charge of bringing her here without revealing the location of the lair. I know this was not the brightest idea I have had but I could not let her die especially after what she did for us, despite her reasons." Leo finally caught his breath after finishing that last part in haste.

"You did well my son, you made the right choice. Now I must take a look at our visitor" Splinter said as he followed Leonardo out into the living area of the lair. He wanted to be there when she arrived. He had to make sure that his suspicions were not correct. It couldn't be, it was just a legend…..wasn't it? Just when he thought his sons could not surprise him anymore they now were possibly bringing a Yoru-senshi, a night warrior. He had heard the stories from his father about these individuals but he never believed them. And if they were true that practice had not been done in hundreds of years. But he was going to be sure before he allowed his imagination get ahead of him.

They must have been in the dojo longer than he thought because when they stepped in the living room they saw his other son Raphael standing their empty handed. He went on to explain that he arrived not too long ago and that she was passed out from blood loss. Donnie immediately took her to his lab to stop the bleeding. Splinter decided that it was best to investigate his suspiciouns while she was asleep so he followed his sons into Donnie's lab to have a look at her.

"Donetello, how is the patient?" Splinter motioned to the sleeping women.

"Well I stopped the intitial bleeding. But I am out of supplies so I messaged April to make a supply run for us. She should be back soon with what I need to finish patching her up along with antibiotics. From the size and shape of the cut I determined it was not made by a weapon but claws. But besides the increased risk of infection I believe she will be just fine." Donnie then checked his phone to see if April had responded back yet. " April said she has the list and will start gathering things immediately"

"My son, while you were patching her up did you notice any other marks on her body?" Splinter waited for a response from his confused son " something outside the ordinary scar or mark"

"Actually yeah sensei" Donnie then started to walk toward the women to show Splinter what he had found. " There are some weird symbols on her body. They are not just tattooed or drawn, they look to be burned into her skin. But they seem healed over and look to have been placed there a long time ago. In fact there is one here on her shoulder opposite of her clan tattoo." Donnie then carefully pulled back the piece of cloth covering her shoulder to reveal one of the mysterious scars. " I have never seen anything like it. These symbols seem to be some ancient language. Ill need to do some research to find out but…"

"That wont be nessacry my son" Splinter said as he cut off his son mid-sentence. " I know what these are. Is the patient stable for now?"

"Yeah sensei I mean for what she has been through she seems fine" Donnie now looked more confused than ever as he explained this to his father.

" As I expected. She will be just fine. Come my sons everyone meet me in the dojo" Splinter looked behind him at his sons confused look. Before anyone of them could ask a question he motioned them once more to the dojo. " Its time for a history lesson." Splinter then turned his back to his sons and walked out of Donnie's lab. He wondered how exactly he was going to explain this to his sons. They deserved to know the truth about the situation but it would also reveal a dark secret that the Hamato clan has hidden for centuries. Hopefully they would understand.

"Sensei, whats going on?" Leo asked as him and his brothers sat in the dojo.

"My sons, I have not told you everything I know about our clans history." Splinter took a deep breath before continueing. " I left out some of the…..darker secrets of the Hamato clan in fear that you would think less of our heritage"

"What do you mean dark? And what does this have to do with that…..woman?" Leo inquired once again. This was turning out to be more difficult than Splinter originally anticipated.

" As you know the Hamato Clan dates back to ancient Japan and is one of the oldest ninja clans. But we were not the only powerful clan in ancient Japan. These clans were always at war with each other trying to aquire more land, more money, and most of all power. Many clans desired our land due to its location and abundant resources but none more that the Foot Clan. They made many attempts at taking it from my ancestors but to no avail, but many of our clans lives were lost in the process." Splinter paused trying to find the courage to continue.

" The leader of the clan, Hamato Diasuke, knew that we needed to do something to gain the advantage over our enemies before more lives were lost. One day a priestess from the Yamabushi, or Mountain Warrior Priests, descended from the mountains and offered her assistance. Many years before Hamato Diasuke sent his ninjas to assist the priests when another clan attepted to take their mountain fortress. The ledgends of the Yamabushi said that they were endowed with supernatural powers and practiced many rituals, some of which they created themselves."

"Once again sensei what does this have to do with what me and Leo saw tonight?" Rapheal was never one to listen to long stories. Even after all these years of training he never learned the art of patcience.

"Patience my sons, I will get there if you allow me" Splinter closed his eyes and regained his center before continuing. "Now the Hamato clan was one of the few who were training female ninjas during this time period. While men were usually stronger, the kunoichi was faster and more agile. They also had certain powers of persuasion that men did not posses. The Yamabushi priestess offered to show us a ritual that she had perfected that would make them the weapon we needed to defend our home."

"This my sons is were our new guest comes into light. You see it has always been known to many the sun represented the masculine energy while the moon represented the femine energy. Together the sun and the moon form a perfect balance. Under this principal she stated that she could turn our kunoichi into Yoru-senshi. Meaning that our women could draw down the power of the moon and use it its powers to her advantage and preform feats that no normal ninja could. Some of these abilities are what you saw this evening."

"That's AWESOME!" Mikey pipped up.

"NO! It was not!" Splinter did not mean to snap at his son that way. He did not understand what this did to those women. There was no honor in what they did.

" You see my sons the ritual was dangerous. Many of our women died senselessly perfecting this practice. Only the strongest and most trained kunoichi stood a chance at survival. The ones that did survive become Yoru-senshi and deadly assassins, and were able to save the lives of our people. But this came at a great cost for them. The cost that the young women in there must bear for the rest of her life." Splinter looked down at his paws because he did not want to see the look on his sons faces. How could this have happened to such a young women after hundreds of years. Was she even aware of what she gave up the night she made that choice?

He could feel his sons staring at him, it was then his eldest asked the question he hoped he would not have to answer. "So what was the cost of this ritual? Please we need to know so we can help."

"While your heart is in the right place my son, Im afraid there is nothing we can do for her. Once the ritual is done the kunoichi is forever bound to the moon and night. While the Yoru-senshi can draw power from the moon they suffer under the sun. They are forever forbidden to come out during the day. Their eyes become "shadow bound" meaning they can see in complete darkness but too much light damages their eyes. Years of constant training and practice are needed to hone their new skills and to memorize the affects that the lunar cycle has on them. While we got what we wanted we ruined the lives of many without even thinking of the concequences. That my sons is the greatest stain of the Hamato clans honor." Splinter held his breath as he waited for his sons response.

"So…shes like a VAMPIRE!" screamed his youngest.

"MIKEY" they all shouted in unison.

Splinter delivered a quick "whap" to Mikey's head with his cane. Even after all these years he was still the same he was when he was younger. He loved his youngest son but he wished sometimes he would think before he spoke.

"NO! She is not a vampire! And you will treat her with the upmost respect when she awakens.


	5. Explanations

When she awoke all she could think about was the pain in her head. It felt as if it was in a vice grip with someone squeezing it tighter and tighter. She tried to open her eyes but her vision was blurry and it only made her head hurt more. She panicked she did not know where she was or who brought her here. She tried to get up and figure out where she was but there was a sharp pain in her side.

"That's right." She thought to herself. "That bastard dog got me during our battle. Wait the turtles, they must have brought me here…wherever here is"

She knew her wounds would heal quickly now that she was awake. Or so she hoped, she had used so much of the ki she pulled down during the battle and it was so hard to draw down more in a short time. She looked down at her side to examine the wound. It was stitched and patched up well and the wound had been clean thoroughly. They must have some sort of medical person here because this looks professional. Her vision had finally cleared up and she got a good look at her surroundings. She was on a hospital type bed in a large room that looked like a make shift lab. She then noticed the smell…of sewer?

" Ok stop being a whiny bitch and get off your ass." She said to herself, hoping a little pep talk would get her up and going. She sat up and shifted her weight to the edge of the bed. Slowly and carefully began to place her feet on the floor. She winced as the pain hit her full force but she fought the urge to pass out and started to walk. But she noticed that the pain was slowly subsiding. She must still be healing to some extent. She looked around and she noticed her weapons were gone and so was her pouch. That was step number one, get her shit back.

She started slowly towards the door and she heard voices coming from the other room. Once again it was the four she encountered this evening. They must have brought her back to there headquarters. Damn it, how could he have let this happen. She was careless and lost sight of her true objective on the dock.

"THE CARGO!" She cried as she remembered her true purpose at the docks. "I have to get back now!"

The others must have heard her cry because they immediately met her as she walked out the door. But it didn't matter to her she would get through them if they tried to stop her. Nothing was getting in her way this time, she had waited too long…they have waited too long. It was time for her to get going, now!

"YOU!" she motioned towards the red turtle. She had forgotten his name already. But he was the last one she remembered seeing before her world went black. "Where are my weapons and supplies. I need to get back to the docks!"

"Hold it there princess, you are not going anywhere and we sure as hell aint givin ya any weapons" He retorted as he walked towards her. "And by the way I have a name, its Raphael, I'm the one who carried your sorry ass back here after you threw a tantrum about not wanting me to carry you!"

" Cocky bastard is more like it!" She could feel the heat rising to her face " And I would not have had to been carried if your brother would watch out and pay more attention to his opponent!"

"Oh you have some nerve, sister!" He had begun to raise his voice more as he stared her down and stepped closer. "You really don't want to push me tonight!"

He was getting under her nerves, more than anyone had in a long time. In her rage she had forgotten her injury when she asked him what he was going to go about it. All she wanted to do was smack that smug look off his face. But she also thought he was kinda cute when he was angry. She took a step forward and moved the wrong way, pulling on her stitches and sending a bolt of pain down her spine. Her vision started to blur as she started to stumble backwards a bit. That's when she heard another one of the turtles, the leader. She still needed some more time to heal before heading top side ….or fight for that matter.

"RAPH THAT'S ENOUGH!" He shouted as he stepped between her and him. "REMEMBER WHAT MASTER SPLINTER SAID, TREAT HER WITH RESPECT!" he then lowered his voice " Shes had a rough night too. Lets just all calm down and be friendly"

"BUT….SHE…GRAAAAAH…fine." Raph inhaled deeply. She could tell he was trying to get his temper under control. She was mildly disappointed, she enjoyed having someone challenge her for a change.

Leo then turned to face her. " Our sensei, Splinter, has requested to see you as soon as you woke up. I believe you also wanted to see him yourself."

"Wait…do you mean this Splinter is….Hamato Yoshi?" She was now thoroughly confused.

"Yes, but he may not be what you expected." Leo struggled with how to explain this. "He's changed…umm a lot in the last 25 years."

"Doesn't matter, I need to see him. I also need access to my pouch I was carrying. It has something for him in there." She stated. "You can get it yourself if you wont give me my stuff back, red envelope with a wax seal that has the Hamato clan symbol. But don't open it, those were my instructions."

Leo nodded and then walked away seemingly to get what she requested. It took longer than she thought for him to come back. They probably were checking to make sure it was not a trap of some kind. She would have too. When he finally returned he had the red envelope in his hand. He handed it to her as he motioned to what appeared to be a dojo. "Master Splinter is ready to see you." She tried to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to see. Hell, she didn't even know what she was going to see but if his students were humanoid turtles she could only imagine. She took a deep breath as Leo slid open the doors of he dojo and motioned her to enter. She felt her heart skip a beat when he shut the door behind him, it appears the turtles will not be joining their little meeting.

She turned around to get a good look at her surroundings. It was beautiful. The large room was decorated with traditional Japanese décor and at the center there was a large tree. This felt safe, it reminded her of her home in Japan. As she was wondering how they got a large tree to grow in the sewers she saw a tall figure walk out of a room opposite of her. Could this be Hamato Yoshi, the man she has searched for so long? As she began walking towards the man she noticed that it wasn't a man it was a …rat? She froze in her tracks and her mind went blank. She did not know what to say or do.

"Don't be afraid my dear, I will not harm you." Said the rat. " I hear you have been searching for me and I would like to know why."

She walked towards him and sat on her knees in front of him and bowed. Her sensei always told her to show the proper respects to important individuals, and no one was more important to her now than Hamato Yoshi. She waited him to tell her to rise and when she lifted her head she handed him the envelope she has been saving so long. He opened the red envelope as she waited, feeling like she was in purgatory. Her master did not tell her what was in the envelope, just that it would help prove who she was. She had wanted for so long to open it but it would be disrespectful to go against a dead man's wishes, especially the man she considered her surrogate father. She heard him make a noise of approval and she suddenly felt like a huge weight was lifted of her shoulder. When she looked closer at what he was holding she noticed that there was a photo along with a letter. He must have sensed she was curious because he turned the photo so she could see. It was a picture of three people, one was a women, the other two were men. She looked closer and noticed that one of them looked like a younger version of her sensei. In her mind she concluded that the other man was a young Hamato Yoshi.

"The photograph that you see before you are of me, my beloved wife Teng Shen, and our mutual friend which you know as your sensei. This was taken years ago in another life, when I was called Hamato Yoshi, now you may call me Master Splinter my dear." Splinter said in a soft tone as he continued. " The letter says that you are one of his students, but it says nothing about who you are or how you became to be a Yoru-senshi. He said that is a story that you must tell me."

"I would not even know where to begin" she said with a smile, looking into his brown eyes.

"The way to tell a story is to start at the very beginning." Splinter replied.

"Well….." She said as she took a deep breath. As she was about to begin she felt another presence. Not just one person but…..six? She suspected that the four turtles were curious about her as well and were listening in, but who were the other two? " Well Master Splinter, it appears we have some others who want to know who I am." She smiled motioning to the sliding door of the dojo. " I can sense their presents just outside the door."

"Impressive." Splintered said as he walked towards the door. " I must apologize my sons seem to have forgotten their manners" He then swung open the dojo door to reveal all four turtles and two new faces she had not seen before. Ones of a red haired women and a dark haired man. " Can I help you?" Splinter said with a disappointing tone. The small group all stared at him wide eyed but did not say a word.

"Its ok, I owe them and explanation as well. I have been quite cryptic until I was sure of who they were." She explained. "They may join us, if that is ok with you" she added. " I only would like to tell my story once, it's not something I enjoy doing." She watched as Splinter nodded and motioned the group into the dojo, but giving them a disappointing look as each walked by. They took a seat to her left while Splinter returned to the position in front of her. She took another deep breath to calm her nerves before she began.

"If you want to start at the very beginning then we must start when I was a small girl growing up in Chicago." She closed her eyes and let her mind take her back to the past. " My mother was not the parenting type if you know what I mean. She was constantly moving us around and leaving me in random places. It took me a while to figure out it was because my mom had a serious heroin addiction. One night she drove me to a shady side of town and took me into an abandoned building. The men handed her some money and she walked out." She paused. "without me"

"Turns out my dear mother sold me to these men for more drug money and also to get out of the responsibilities of being a parent. They then took me and a few other girls and shoved us into vans when the sun went down and drove us for quite some time. We were then moved into a shipping container and told if we made any noise they would kill us." She paused again trying to find the courage to continue.

" We were in there for what felt like an eternity. When they took us out I noticed that we were not in Chicago anymore. Me and the other girls somehow made it to Japan. They then pulled us out and sent us in different vehicles, mine heading for Tokyo. I wondered what I was doing there and who my mother had sold me too. I soon figured out the hard way that I was sold to human sex traffickers when the dropped me off at a brothel. I do not wish to talk about my six month stay there."

"There….." She thought only to herself as she lowered her head to the floor. "you spit it out now the rest will be easier, now go on." She raised her head and continued her story.

"After my six month stay in hell I learned I was going to be moved again. You see every few months the brothels "restock" and get rid of old girls and bring in new. I was going to be sent someplace else though I did not know where. It was that night that my life would change forever. I was shoved back in another van, this time by myself. As we reached our destination I heard a commotion. People were yelling and fighting, then it all went silent. A man dressed head to toe in red with a strange symbol on his clothes opened the door." She smiled as she remembered how her and her master both looked confused to see each other.

"You see Master Splinter, the night that the Shredder took over and converted the Hamato clan's ninja into the Foot clan some people did not join. They escaped and set up shop in Tokyo. When the Foot clan and Shredder began to make money with criminal activity they struck back. They had been working and living in the shadows in hopes of saving the people of Tokyo from the clutches of the Shredder and his criminal ninjas. That night they heard that the foot was getting an important shipment at the pier and they decided to stop them. When the fight was over they started checking to see what the Foot was receiving. I was in one of the vans left at the pier." She stopped and looked up at Splinter.

"If you do not wish to continue I understand." He said giving her a caring look.

"No, I'm alright" She continued. " The man who opened the van was none other than Ito Haruki, the man who became my sensei and my father. He was originally going to find me a way home until I told him how I was originally sold to the Foot. He gave me the took me in and home I never had. He taught me to defend myself by teaching me ninjutsu and other fighting styles that he knew. He taught me how to center myself, meditate and become attuned to my surroundings. A few years later, when I turned 17, he allowed me to join the fight against the foot. By that time the Shredder had moved some of his operations here when he realized he would be in New York for a while."

"When the Shredder discovered how profitable human trafficking had become he increased his operations to raise money for his criminal empire. For obvious reasons I took a vested interest in this and I started to bust his shipments when they arrived in Japan. I would then turn the girls over to the appropriate authorities. This patterned continued and for a time me and the others thought we were going to make a difference. The Shredder and the Foot clan started to become more numerous and more powerful. We started to lose what remained of the Hamato Clan in battle. It felt like every week we lost someone close to us. The others knew we had to do something, that's when someone mentioned the legend of the Yoru-senshi." She stopped as she felt the tension increase in the room. She could tell that this was a touchy subject for Splinter. Their eyes met and he told her to continue.

"We had the scrolls that one of the elders had saved from the fire. The ritual was made simple hundreds of years ago and almost anyone could perform the ritual on another. I was eager to volunteer. The price did not sound to terrible. I would get power from the moon and this would make me a stronger warrior. When I was done being properly trained I would be a weapon the Hamato clan could use against the Foot. My sensei of course did not agree with my decision and even tried to forbid me, but I did not listen. I knew the risks and the consequences. The fear of dying during the transformation process did not scare me, I was so overconfident that I knew I could survive." She chuckled a bit as she remembered how young and stupid she was.

"The downsides did not sound to terrible either. I mean couldn't go out during the day, but I mean I was a ninja we lived in the shadows anyway. Plus I didn't sleep much at night. I didn't know how hard it would be to control once I transformed though. I met some of my fellow clan members outside of town in the forest to perform the ritual. I found out that they had not told me everything about this ritual and transformation. One thing they left out the part where they had to burn symbols into my body" She clenched her fists as she remembered how much pain she was in, not just from the burning but the betrayal. "They left out a lot of things…." She trailed off into her thoughts. She then felt a hand touch her shoulder and she flinched.

"Its alright" She looked up and met Splinters gaze. There was something about it that made her feel safe. It reminded her of her sensei.

"I survived in the end and I became what you see today. My father was not pleased, he was angry for what I had done to myself. But he once again became my support and helped me control some of my new abilities. Not long after we continued our training he became very ill. He was afraid for me to be left alone. You see the few that was left of the Hamato clan for some reason began to shun and fear me. Instead of working with a team I had to work by myself for a long time. I stayed to myself and only talked him. He told me that people feared what they do not understand, even thought this was something they thought they wanted they were afraid after seeing how different I was. So a year ago when he knew he was not going to get better he made a plan for me. I would seek out the only ninja master he trusted, Hamato Yoshi. He told me what he knew before he died."

"I have spent the last year trying to find you. I finally found a way to New York four months ago and I have been looking ever since." She smiled up at him. "Now I know why I could not find you."

"You have not told us your name, why is this? Splinter questioned her.

"I guess I didn't think about it. I have lived in isolation for the last year. No one has spoken my name so I forget I have one." She frowned. How could she have forgotten to tell them her name. "My name is Zelenia"

"So, Zelenia, why were you on the docks last night watching us?" questioned Leo.

Zelenia turned to face him as she answered. "I wasn't there to watch you. I found out that the Foot were getting a huge shipment. Some drugs, weapons and other things they transport here now to make money. But I decided to be there last night because I learned that they were also getting a shipment of girls. See Shredder learned that there is a market for sex trading here in American and has increase his operations in this department here as well. I was there to find out which container the girls were in, break them out, and take them to the safehouse. When you four showed up I had to change my game plan and you saw how things played out."

"This is why when the sun goes down again I will be heading back to the docks to finish what I started. They usually leave the container on the docks for two days to get rid of any suspicion. They then will show up with the van and take the girls to their final destination." Zelenia's eyes darkened as she thought of how scared the girls must be.

"We will help you save those girls" said Splinter

"Master Splinter, I do not think that is such a good idea, I work alone…..always have." Zelenia said defensively.

"You got a problem with us?" said the dark haired man.

"No I just don't work with people at all, its best that way." Zelenia tried to explain.

"SILENCE!" Shouted Splinter. Everyone in the dojo jumped and fell silent. " Zelenia you are now one of my students and you will learn to work with the others!" Splinter demanded." "I know you think you have to stay away from others out of fear but we will not judge you."

"Yes sensei" Zelenia replied as she bowed. It felt strange to call someone that again.

He turned to Leonardo. "She will be staying with us for now on. Return her belongings and get the spare room prepared for her, it is now hers. Also I know you are the leader but given the sensitivity of the situation it is best to handle this Zelenia's way. Now I am going to my room, I have much to think over." He then turned to the rest of them. "Get to know each other a bit then get some rest. When the sun goes down you will be going on your first mission together." He then slipped into his room and closed the door.

Zelenia froze as she felt six pairs of eyes on her. She was not used to being around so many people at once. She had lived in isolation for over a year and did not communicate with others out of fear. She was a freak and people treated her like such. She learned over time it is better to be alone. But this time may be different she thought to herself. I mean they are giant mutant turtles with two human friends. They were not exactly normal; in fact, they may think she was normal. In order to follow her new sensei's orders she had to let her guard down and let people in. How hard could it be? She took a deep breath and relaxed her body.

She heard footsteps behind her and she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She could not see who it was.

"Hey sweetheart, my names Casey Jones" Said the man's voice.

Something in her snapped. She felt fear, pain, darkness. That name….someone she couldn't see behind her…touching her. Before she could catch herself she had thrown him against the back wall of the dojo. He looked at her confused. She turned to face the others, they too looked confused. They were looking at her…..all of them. She turned her back to the door and slowly started to walking backwards out the dojo. Making sure no one else could come up behind her. She then looked at Casey.

"Don't call me sweetheart…..don't….don't come up behind me…and don't touch me. I'm so sorry. Im so sorry!" She cried as she ran out the door.


	6. Home At Last

Everyone looked at each other with confusion as Zelenia ran out of the dojo. They didn't know what to think or what say. They stood in silence until one of them spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"Soooo she seems like a ray of sunshine." Joked Mikey

"Well that ray of sunshine just bruised my shoulder! Man she seems to be like Raph, randomly violent." Casey joked as he patted Raph on the back.

"You guys I don't think it is like that" April said as she held her hands to her head. She was getting one of her "feelings". Donnie, realizing what was going on, came up to her and put his arm around her.

"Are you ok, babe" Donnie said as he kissed her head gently.

"I got this feeling from her when you touched her Casey…..she was scared. Really scared. I think her reaction was automatic I don't think she meant to hurt you." April said. Over the years April's psychic powers have grown. She should not read people's minds but she could sense their feelings better. She could even see small clips of their memories.

"Why would she be scared of Casey. I mean I know he's ugly but I didn't think it was that bad." Laugh Raph.

"She wasn't scared of him she was scared of something else. Casey triggered something in her mind, something she has tried to store away and forget. You know this sounds like something I learned in my college psychology class called PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder." April said as she was trying to focus her powers on the images she got from Zelenia.

"I don't know what that is" said Mikey

" it's a disorder that occurs after one experiences traumatic events in their life." Donnie replied

"Yes, these individuals relive their trauma though flashbacks and nightmares. Some people have "triggers" something that reminds them of the event and they then will relive it even feeling it." April added "These individuals are sometimes hypervigilant, meaning they are always on the lookout for danger. That fight or flight reflex we all have never shuts off for these people. "

"That coupled with over a year of isolation isn't a good mix. Especially when she was faced with all of us at once. She was focused on the rest of us that she did see Casey. Touching her when she couldn't see you probably triggered some sort of memory and her instincts told her to defend herself." Donnie finished.

"So what do we do?" Leo asked

"Nothing, she will be fine after she calms down. I think this is one of the first times she has had a flashback so she needs to work through what she saw. PTSD can stay dormant for years and then appear one day" April said assertively. "I'm going to go talk to her, maybe talking to another female will be helpful. Donnie why don't you help Leo get her new room ready. I'll come find you when him done." She then gave him a kiss and walked out of the dojo.

April was determined to help Zelenia feel comfortable. She knew just how to get the conversation started. When Donnie had first mentioned their new visitor she pulled together medical supplies and a few other things she thought she would need. She brought some clothes and toiletries for her. She didn't know her size but Donnie had described her as slender so some of her clothes should fit. She walked into Donnie's room and grabbed her bag. She then walked back out into the general living area and she saw Donnie and Leo talking.

"Ok her room is ready. It's not much but it's a start." Leo said. As he pointed to the room to the right of Raph's.

"Enjoy your new neighbor, Raph" Casey poked. Raph shot him nasty look as a response.

"Ok, make yourselves scarce. Im going to go get her and show her the room. Now would be a good time to grab some sleep. If we need anything we will let you know" April stated.

"How do you know where she went?" asked Donnie

"Because I can still feel her mind, I know it sounds strange but I can follow that feeling." April said as she gave him a kiss and sent him off into his room promising to join him when she was done.

April then set off to find the new member of the Hamato clan. She did not have to go far outside the entrance to the lair. She was propped up against a wall a few drains down. She had her hands crossed against her chest and her head facing up with her eyes closed. April decided it would be a good idea to make her presence known before she got to close.

"Hello, Zelenia. I'm April." She said kindly.

"Why are you here, I just threw your friends against a wall. That doesn't exactly scream 'be my friend' does it" She said with sadness in her voice.

"We know you didn't mean it. You see I have some psychic powers and I can feel people and sense their emotions. You were just scared. They understand that, they are awesome that way." April explained.

"I know, I can tell, I can sense it as well. That is why I felt comfortable letting my guard down for the first time in over a year. I don't know what happened. I have never had that problem before."

"Well anything can trigger a bad memory or event. It can happen" April said as she came a bit closer sensing she was in no danger.

"I never had this problem until after the ritual." Zelenia started to explain after a long period of silence. "One of the effects is it opens up your mind and gives you the ability to sense things you couldn't normally, like danger. But for me when it opened my mind it unleashed things I didn't know I had bottled up inside my mind. Things that have happened to me. I have dealt with most of those memories but tonight something snapped and I remembered something else. Then I took it out on an innocent person. So much for team building"

" Casey will be fine, he's had soooo much worse believe me." April laughed. "he doesn't hold it against you. We know that after being alone for so long that it's hard to be around others." April watched as a smile slowly started to appear on Zelenia's face. April seemed to have gotten through to her.

"I now know why my old sensei sent me here to find Splinter. He knew I would be accepted. You see I may look normal now but when I'm outside at night I change. I'm a freak that scares people. It's hard to get used to the idea that I am accepted here. I mean you guys are anything but normal." Zelenia said. She then pushed herself off the wall and started walking back towards the lair with April.

"Leo and Donnie have made up your new room for you. I also brought some things that you can have like clothes." April said excitedly. She had accomplished her goal as she led Zelenia to her new room.

"This is also something I need to get used to." She said quietly

"What's that?" April inquired

"Having my own living space. A permanent one at that. I have been living on the streets so long I forgot what it's like" She said excitingly as she sat on her new bed. April did not know how to respond to that.

"So how is your wound by the way." April decided to change the subject.

" I don't even feel it anymore. One of the benefits of my abilities" Zelenia then looked at the wound to check it as she continued. "It should be good by tonight."

"That's awesome. OK so here are some clothes. I have some cute pj's in there." April said as she handed her the bag. "This is so exciting to have another girl around here. Too much testosterone in the air" She laughed, making Zelenia laugh with her.

"Thank you, again." Zelenia said as she pulled out the pj's. " I think I'm going to get some sleep before tonight. You should as well. I also need to come up with a plan"

"That's a good idea. If you need anything just let me know I'll be in the room directly across from yours. By the lab. Get some rest!" April then walked out of the room and clothes the door.

Zelenia sat in silence. For the first time in forever she felt that she belonged. She slipped on her pj's and then drifted off to sleep. Maybe for the first time in weeks she would get more than two hours of sleep.


	7. Hope

Chapter Seven

Raph woke up to a rustling noise coming from the room next door. He wasn't used to having someone in the room next to him. Occasionally Casey would bunk there but that was very rare. He sat up in bed and threw his blankets to the side as he continued to listen. He wondered if it was wrong to be listening to her next door, he didn't want her to think he was a "creep". As Raph finished this thought he began to wonder why he even cared what she thought of him. He didn't care what other people thought, well except one. Mona Lisa. Her name had become a curse he had to live with every day.

As he was thinking about Mona Lisa he heard his new neighbor walk out of her room. After her footsteps faded he took a look out of his bedroom door and scanned the lair for her. He then saw her walking out the front entrance.

"Where does she think she is going." He thought

He wondered if she was sneaking off to leave them. But she wouldn't do that, would she? She just found Master Splinter, the man she has been searching for a year. But maybe after the incident in the dojo she might be having a change of heart.

"Wait what if she is sneaking off to take care of the Foot at the docks. She did say she wanted to work alone." He thought as he stood up and grabbed his sais off of his dresser. He had to follow her to make sure she was going to be ok. It had been barely 12 hours since she received her injury and she was liable to hurt herself. With this logic he decided it was only right that he follow her. He walked out of his bedroom door to see if anyone else had noticed she had left. They were all still asleep.

He exited the lair and started down the halls of the sewers. He tried to listen for her footsteps but he could not hear anything. Of course she wouldn't make a noise because she is a trained kunoichi he thought. He wondered how he was going to find her now. Maybe he should have woken the others up to help look for her. At least they could take multiple routes and cover more ground. He decided to go down the path that had the quickest exit to the surface. If she was trying to get out of her she would go that way.

He followed the path that lead to the nearest manhole. She was not there and it looked like she had not tried to get out. If she did an alarm would sound. Donnie had rigged a security system that would tell them if someone was too close to the lair. If she wasn't leaving where the hell was she going. That's when he heard a voice, a woman's voice. He knew it had to be her so he followed the voice until he came up on her.

She was at the end of a sewer tunnel staring up through a storm drain watching the sun set. She stayed in the shadows and did not let what was left of the sunlight get near her. She was talking but he could not hear what she was saying. He had to get just a bit closer to understand her. He took position in an intersecting sewer tunnel no more than 10 feet behind her. Then he heard her speak softly:

" **The moon is cold**

 **So I am told**

 **And winters here for me**

 **When love is gone**

 **There is no sun**

 **The moon is all I see"**

She was about to continue when she stopped. He saw her pull out a kunai from her side.

"Sneaking up on me is not the wisest idea, you better show yourself" she said in a quiet but threatening tone.

Raph wondered how she possibly could have heard or seen him, he was almost invisible in stealth mode. When him and his brothers would train they could not find him easily. He took pride in this fact.

"Woah, there. It just me, Raph." He said as he jokingly held his hands up in the sky.

"Oh, it's you… what the hell do you want and why are you following me?" She gave him an angry look.

"Wow, hostile much?" Raph replied. And his brothers thought he had an attitude problem.

"Sorry, just thought you were an enemy." She said as she took a deep breath. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"Great, how am I going to explain myself out of this one" Raph thought. He paused before he replied. "You see I heard you leaving your room and I was worried you were going off on your own."

"Well thank you for the concern. But no I am just watching the sun set and waiting for it to get dark." She smiled. " this is the closest I get to being out in the light again. I am also trying to come up with a plan for tonight"

"Oh, well that makes sense I guess. So do you miss going outside during the day?" Raph asked trying to come up with anything to get her to talk to him.

"Yes and no. It would be nice to have the option but ninjas stay to the shadows so I didn't go out much during the day before I became this." She was staring at her hands. "But there are some benefits"

"Like what?" Raph asked hoping he did not overstep his bounds. She was now talking softly too him, a big change from just a few minutes ago.

"Well for one the night makes me stronger. Which makes it easier to beat some dirt bag criminals into the ground." She said with a smile.

Raph replied with a smile. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Don't say it, I know it's a little dark and violent. I have been told that many times by people in my past. But the way I see it is if criminals don't want me to give them a pavement facial then they shouldn't be hurting innocent people."

"Pavement facial?" He inquired with a chuckle.

"You know, were you slam someone's face in the ground. That's my nickname for it."

"Well then I have given many pavement facials in my time. I feel the same way about criminals. The others said I need to watch my temper and attitude but the criminals kinda deserve it." Raph couldn't believe such a beautiful person could have a little bit of a dark side. He liked it, he liked it a lot actually.

"Well then it looks like we will get along just fine."

"So how's the plan coming?" Raph said

"Not good. I been alone so long I forgot what it's like to work with other people" She sighed as she turned her face away from him.

"Have you really been alone by yourself that long?" Raph was curious "Not even a boyfriend or anything?" Raph then regretted saying that. Why did it matter if she had a boyfriend? In fact, why did he even care. But for some reason that question popped out and now he had to wait for her to respond. He was embarrassed and he hoped she did not see this.

"Boyfriend" she laughed hysterically as she turns to face him.

"Why is that funny?" He said with a little bit of attitude.

"I'm sorry I just think it's funny you would think that I would have a boyfriend." She finally stopped laughing " Im not exactly dating material"

Raph was now even more curious. Why does she think she is not dating material? She looked just fine to him. She looked way more than just fine, she was actually pretty hot. He could get lost him her ice blue eyes. Her hair almost seemed white as it shined which was unique and he liked different. Her skin was light, almost porcelain. Not to mention what she had going on from the neck down. Her shozoku was almost skin tight outlying ever curve of her body. Her breasts were round and perfectly sized and her ass was not bad as well. Raph then snapped his mind out of those thoughts. Why was he checking her out so much?

"Why do you say that?" He finally questioned hoping she did not notice that he was checking her out.

" You are joking right? I can see my dating site ad now! Hey my name is Zelenia. I cannot go outside during the day or I'm liable to burst into flames. I'm unnaturally strong, my eyes turn demonic colors, and I can teleport temporarily. I can also do other unnatural things. I'm also scared top to bottom with mysterious symbols that were burned into my body. Which brings me to the fact that I decided to go through a ritual that would turn me into a deadly night assassin. People are scared of me because I am a freak of nature. I been called a "demon" more times than I care to mention. Yep I don't think I'll get many hits off " She finished sarcastically with a smile. "Not to mention my dark and sometimes incredibly violent personality!"

Raph couldn't help but smile on the inside. He loved her sarcastic attitude, it reminded him of his own.

" Imagine what mine would be like since I'm a giant talking turtle" This statement made her laugh. He liked making her smile. "Speaking of which why didn't you look at me and my brothers like we were weird. Most people who meet us or see us are afraid. Call us freaks or monsters "

"My sensei, my old sensei, taught me not to see with my eyes." She stated. " besides I have seen other mutants and aliens. You don't look that bad trust me. Plus, as I said earlier I'm not exactly normal myself. I have been called a freak and a few times a demon spawn." She laughed

"Why do you keep saying you look like a demon or something scary. You look just fine right now." Raph asked. "I mean yeah we saw you on the docks fighting but if we just passed you one the street at night we wouldn't notice anything different about you."

"You haven't really seen me at night…I change a little when I'm outside…in the moonlight." She stuttered. "What you saw the other night was different…it's hard to explain."

"On a lighter note" She said changing the subject. " Tell me about your family. Like their strengths and such. I would be easier to make a plan if I knew what everyone could do."

"Well, as you have figured out Leo is our leader. He's a great strategist and he can keep his calm under pressure. Donnie is the smartest guy I know he can do anything with computers and science stuff. Mikey is the class clown, he is an amazing cook, but he is also the fastest of my brothers." Raph paused for a second so he could figure out what to say about the rest. " Then there is April she has some kinda brain power and she has some good fighting skills. She hasn't trained much as a kunoichi since she started focusing on her powers. Then there is Casey Jones he hits people with sticks." Raph joked.

"But no he is a great fighter and has amazing stamina. He is also the fastest person on wheels or behind the wheel." He laugh remembering the hot rod Donnie and Casey had built all those years ago.

"You still haven't mentioned yourself" Zelenia replied. "Most of the time people mention themselves first."

Raph did know what to say about himself. He couldn't tell her that he was a failure and had let his brothers down more than once. He couldn't tell her that he was an alcoholic with a case of depression after his girlfriend left him. Raph started to feel angry and upset as these thoughts came to his head.

"Come on I know you have some talent; I did see you that night on the docks as well." She spoke enthusiastically. She had notice Raph's face and she knew it all to well what he was thinking. She had to get him to talk and get his mind out of the darkness.

"Ahhh so your checking me out now!" Raph joked finally. " Well as you can see I am the muscle of our family. I am also not afraid of anything.

"Thank you" She said. " Now I can come up with a better plan based on everyone's strengths. She then turned to lean up against the wall and winced. She had moved the wrong way and now her side hurt again.

"Are you ok?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It will mostly heal by tonight" Zelenia said as she lifted the upper part of her outfit to reveal the dressing around her wound. She then grabbed the gaze and taped and pulled it off. To Raph's surprise the wound looked like nothing more than a bad scratch. He remembered carrying her back, her blood soaking his hands as he rushed her to Donnie thinking she was going to die. "It will still scar though, but I'll just add that the hundreds I already have. No room for vanity in our line of work right?"

" I understand that more than anyone." Raph chuckled

"I see that." She smiled. He saw her looking at his shell that was scratched and chipped. Her eyes then moved to his arms and face which were covered with scars and some burns. He had not treated his body very well; he was always the first to rush into danger not thinking about himself.

"So you can heal pretty quick I see." He inquired

"Yes and no"

"What do you mean, that wound would have taken weeks to heal normally"

"Yes but my healing is not instant. If you had not gotten me to Donnie in time I would have died just like everyone else. It takes time for my healing factor to kick in especially if I'm not outside or it is daylight." She stated. "which I never thanked you for by the way. After I talked to you the way I did I'm surprised you didn't just leave me" she giggled. "I'm passionate about my work and I can sometimes let my emotions get the best of me."

"It's okay but now you owe me" He said with a smile.

"Oh really." She smirked

"Yep" Raph said. "That's the way it works"

"So what do you want?" She said concerned

"I don't know, I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"OK…..well it looks like it is almost dark outside. We should get back and meet the others. We will be leaving soon." She then turned and started walking away. "Also it was great talking to you Raph, we should do this again sometime." She then disappeared around the corner and into the darkness.

Raph could feel his heart beating in his throat. For the first time in years he felt a light of hope. She was perfect and she wanted to hang out with him again. He thought he would never find anyone quite like Mona Lisa but now he was beginning to wonder if it was possible to find someone…better.

He then started his trek back to the lair. He couldn't wait to see her in action again.


	8. The Plan

Chapter Eight

Zelenia found herself smiling as she walked back to the lair. She did not know why she was smiling only that she enjoyed it. She also noticed that she enjoyed Raph's company. He was sweet and caring. But he was also like her as well. He was sarcastic, had an attitude and also passionate about cleaning the scum off the streets. She also could not help but notice those muscles. Man they were huge, he must work out constantly. But she did not have time to think about that right now, she had to focus on the task at hand. Finding those girls.

She walked through the front entrance of the lair and noticed that everyone was gathered in the living area. They must have been waiting for her and Raph to return. She took a deep breath as she approached the group. So far she had done well interacting with April and Raph but that was one on one. She was still nervous about being around a large group. But like Master Splinter said she needed to get used to this. Her father had told her the same thing when she was younger and she tried for a bit but it always ended in disaster. She hoped this time things would be different. She then took one final breath before she walked up to the group and took her place in front of them.

She could feel all their eyes on her and she her heart started to race. She couldn't believe she was having a panic attack. She can fight dozens of foot soldiers by herself but she couldn't publicly speak?

"Hey, Zelenia." April said softly as she stood up and walked to her. She must have noticed her reaction to being in front of everyone. "So what's the plan? We are ready to help you save these girls." She stood by Zelenia and put her arm around her and whispered in her ear. "Its ok, you got this. Just say what you want us to do."

Zelenia smiled at her. She finally realized she had made a friend. This was a strange concept for her especially since she hadn't had a friend in years. She felt comfortable with her around and decided she would pretend she was just talking to April.

"We are missing a member of this group." Zelenia said quickly. "Raphael is not here yet." Just as she finished her sentence Raph walked through the lair entrance and joined the group. "Well, never mind here he is." She said smiling at him. There it is again…a smile.

"Ok, so what is your plan" Said Leo. She could tell that he was used to being in charge and this was hard for him.

"OK as you know this mission is a rescue and drop-off. The main objective is to get the girls out of the cargo container and then transfer them to the designated safe house." Her voice changed and took a serious tone. "We will separate into three groups. There will be more Foot on the docks now that they know I'll be coming back. But they won't expect the rest of you"

"Wait how do they know you are coming back?" asked Casey. She was surprised he would even talk to her. Maybe April was right, maybe he did forgive her.

"Because I always come back. Now back to what I was saying…" Zelenia said as she was interrupted again, this time by Mikey.

"Why do they need to have so many people guarding the girls….." Mikey started to say before he was cut off by a slap to the head from Raph.

"Learn some manners, shell for brains!" Raph said angrily. Everyone looked at Raph with surprise, who was he to talk about manners.

"Mikey to answer your poorly timed question, these girls bring in a lot of money. More than drugs and weapons sometimes. Each girl is worth $50,000 minimum. They give them a "debt" of $50,000 meaning the girls must work until they earn that much to get their freedom. Or they are sold outright at auctions or to private buyers. They will guard these girls because they cannot risk losing them. With new regulations it is hard to ship girls back and forth without being notices or without paying people off." Zelenia paused to make sure everyone was paying attention. She found herself getting frustrated, all the wanted to do was tell them the plan and get this over with so she could return to her solitude.

"This shipment was one of their largest hence why there was more Foot ninja and some mutants coming to unload. After the commotion last night they had to abandon the operation until things died down otherwise they would be noticed. Tonight they will return and possibly with more forces. Now any other questions before I tell you guys the plan? Zelenia said, hoping no one would say anything.

"No I think we can wait till later to ask questions." Stated Leo.

"Good now here is what we are going to do. I am going to separate us into three teams. Team one will be Leo, Donnie and Mikey. You three will go in together and thin out the Foot before team two enters. This will also provide us with a distraction. Group two will consist of Casey and April. They will be the drivers that will be responsible for taking the girls to the safe house. They are also the least likely to freak out the girls, no offense guys." She said as she looked at the turtles with a slight smile, hoping they understood.

"No offense taken, we understand." Donnie said

"Good." Zelenia continued. "They will wait with the van in the alley way just off the docks. When the girls are loaded they will drive to the address I have given April." She then handed April a piece of paper. "I trust these people with these girls more than anyone. Do not hand them over to anyone besides them, if someone else tries take them out. Many of the cops have been bought my Shredder and they will just be returned to him." April nodded.

"Ok, team three is obviously going to be me and Muscles over there." She nodded her head towards Raph. " After team one has distracted most of the crew at the docks we will move in and take care of the stragglers. We will then head to the cargo container with the girls in it. We will have to be quick. We don't have time to open the container properly we must break the door. The girls will be stored behind some boxes so they will need to be removed quickly as well." She waited for Raph to tell her he understood, he smiled at her and nodded.

"We will radio teams one and three. When we have the girls team one moves out immediately, there is no reason for you to stay in harm's way if the girls are already gone. April will then get out of the van and motion the girls to get in. I speak many languages and I will be able to tell the girls where to go, no matter where they are from. Casey will then drive them to the location while me and Raph follow from the roof tops to make sure the van gets to the drop off without any…complications." As she finished she took a deep breath, she did it! "Does everyone understand what they are doing?"

Everyone nodded or said yes. "Leo do you want to add anything or make suggestions? I know this is your team so if you have anything you want to add be my guest."

"No actually it sounds like a great plan." He sounded surprised. For the first time in forever she felt pleased with herself. Not only had she spoke to a group of people but she also was leading a team.

"Ok everyone, get ready. We leave in 30." Zelenia said as she rushed back to her room to grab her stuff. As she was about to enter her room she heard Donnie say her name. She turned around to see what he wanted.

"I hate to ask but I need to look at your wound. I don't want you getting hurt even more. I mean just last night you lost a lot of blood and had to have stiches." He said with genuine concern in his voice, something that was foreign to her.

"That is very sweet Donnie. But I am fine, see look." She lifted up the top of her outfit to reveal her wound. She smiled when she saw the surprised look on his face. "And thank you by the way. Even though I have a faster healing factor it does take some time to kick in. If you had not stopped the bleeding I would be dead right now."

"Well, your more than welcome. Happy to be of service!" He smiled. He was a little "dorky" she thought but he had a good heart. She realized now she had talked to three out of the six an so far so good. "Ill see you at the shellraiser in 30!" he said as he ran off.

Now it was time for her to get ready. She started by adjusting her shozuko and putting on her cloth mask that covered her face from the nose down. She decided against wearing the full hood since she did not want to them to mix her up with the rest of the Foot. Not that she thought they were stupid but things can happen so quick in battle. Besides she could blend in with the shadows very well even with her light hair showing. She then collected her weapons. She put shuriken and a few kunai knives into the pouches strapped to her thigh and calf. She then grabbed her kusarigama and strapped it to her other side. Finally, she placed both her kodachi on her back. She was ready, at least physically. Mentally she was still not sure. She was able to talk to them all but was she going to be able to fight with them. To let them see her at night and to watch what she can do?

"This isn't about you." She said to herself as she looked in her mirror. "It's about them, and you would do anything to save them."

She then turned and ran out of her room to go join the others. One way or another they were going to see her, might as well get it over with sooner. It is better to be shunned now than to wait till she was emotionally involved with this group like her last.

"Here we go." She said to herself.


	9. The Docks

Raph exited his room the same time Zelenia was leaving hers. He still was not used to having a neighbor since his room was on the other end of the lair from his brothers. That is why he picked this room, so he could be alone. But when he saw her he was happy that she was next door to him. Her light hair was tied up into a pony tail and she had her black mask covering her face from her nose down. Her shozuko was skin tight and her weapons were strapped to her side. She was quite the sight to behold, Raph thought to himself as he continued to check her out. He felt a slight tightening in his groin as his eyes descended to her perfectly round ass.

"Can I help you?" Zelenia said placing her hand on her hip, snapping Raph back to reality. He hoped that she did not notice him checking her out. That's the last thing he needed, for her to think he's some creep.

"Nope Im good" Raph said in a hurry as he walked off. Not the smoothest thing he has ever done, but it got him out of an awkward conversation. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" he thought to himself. It's not like it's been forever since he had been with a woman. But there was something about Zelenia that he couldn't get out of his head. His mind went back to the first night they met. She was injured, bleeding but she was willing to fight an almost 7-foot mutant turtle. Her eyes did not show fear, just determination. He found that an admirable quality in a woman.

He was once again snapped out of his thoughts by his younger brother.

"Yo, where's the new chick brah?" Mikey said as he approached the shellraiser.

"April and Casey are already on their way in the party wagon to the access road." said Donnie. "We need to get going."

"I'm not her fucking babysitter." Raph said as he pushed his younger brother aside and climbed in the shellraiser.

"What I say?" Mikey asked Donnie. Donnie shrugged his shoulders as him and Mikey climbed into the vehicle.

Raph took his usual seat near the weapon control station. He watched as his brothers came in one at a time. First Donnie then Mikey, each taking their usual places. They were only waiting for their driver, Leo, and the new girl. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot against the metal floor. What the hell was taking so long! He then heard their voices outside the Shellraiser.

"It would be easier if you just rode with us." Said the fearless leader.

"Look, I don't like small spaces, especially ones that move." Said Zelenia with hesitation in her voice. " and have four other people in them."

"Look in order for your plan to work then we all need to be there at the same time." He said. "The only way to make that happen is if you just get in." There was then silence.

"Fine." She finally replied.

Leo then entered the vehicle and got behind the wheel. Raph heard her sigh as she finally stepped up and walked through the door. She then walked directly to the back without looking or speaking to him or his brothers. She leaned up against the wall, crossed her arms, and put her head down.

"You may want to sit down, miss." Said Donnie politely. He must have heard her and Leo's conversation as well.

"I'm fine." She said flatly, never raising her head.

"You sure dudette? Leo is a shitty driver!" Mikey laughed.

"Hey! I heard that!" Leo shouted from the front as he started the Shellraiser.

"I'm fine." She said more forcefully. "Can we please get going? The sooner I am out of this death trap on wheels the better."

Man, Raph thought, she must be just as stubborn as him. If not more. He wondered if this is how his brothers felt dealing with him all these years. He had gotten a better handle on his rage and authority issues as he got older but they were still there. He wondered what her deal was when it came to vehicles. She was at least in her early to mid-twenties, there was no way she hadn't ridden in a vehicle before. That's when he remembered her story, about how she was shoved into vans and transported to that hell when she was just a kid. Could that be the reason she is freaking out now?

He continued to watch her as they exited the sewers and on to the dark streets of the city. He could see that she was breathing faster and he could almost hear her heart beating out of her chest. Raph noticed that she seemed to hide her face more now and refused to make eye contact with anyone. He wanted to go talk to her to make her feel better but he also thought it might make the situation worse. The access road to the docks were not far. They would be there in about 15 mins with the way Leo was driving.

They finally arrived at the access road near the docks and parked near April and Casey. The road was a little further from the docks but it would keep them hidden for now. As soon as the doors opened Raph half expected her to rush out of the Shellraiser, but the opposite happened. She now seemed like she didn't want to get out at all. Leo and Donnie were the first to exit as they greated their human friends. Mikey looked at Zelenia and then looked back at Raph giving him a look of concern. Raph motioned his head towards the door. He thought that if everyone was out of the Shellraiser she would follow.

"So where is the chika who's in charge of this little get together." Said Casey as he walked toward Raph.

"She didn't want to get in the vehicle, now she doesn't want to get out." Raph said, he was starting to get a little frustrated. He didn't know if he was frustrated that she was being difficult or….maybe that she seemed to be upset. He realized he didn't like seeing her in distress.

Everyone's eyes then went to April. If anyone could get her out it would most likely be her. She seemed to understand why everyone was looking at her and she walked over to the open door of the Shellraiser.

"Hey, Zelenia you coming out?" She said softly.

Silence.

"We kinda need you out here." April stated.

"I know, but I don't want you guys to freak out." Zelenia said quietly.

"We won't freak out. You forget your talking to four mutant turtles, a Krang hybrid, and well…..Caseys just strange anyway." She giggled. "We promise." Everyone agreed.

Raph was still confused. Why was she worried they would freak out? This women was starting to become more of a mystery by the hour. He watched the door intently waiting for her to come out. She finally stepped from her hiding spot and walked out the door. She was still looking at the ground, hiding her face. She took a deep breath and looked up at everyone. That's when he saw why she was worried, her eyes. Instead of her normal light blue eyes they were black.

"Yo, sweet! You be rocking them Supernatual demon eyes." Mikey piped up as he walked over to her and held out his fist for a fist bump. Her eyes widened with confusion as she slowly lifted her hand to return the gesture. Raph had never seen anything like it, her eyes were totally black. He finally understood why people would thing she was a demon. But he though they were kinda "cool" and different.

"Those are super sweet! Can they do anything awesome?" Mikey said with excitement in his voice.

"You guys are ok with this? Like, not even freaked out a little." She said scanning everyone's reaction.

"Can you see? Are you blind?" Mikey blurted out again before anyone could respond. He then moved closer to look her in the eye. Raph noticed her eyes widen again as he got in her face.

"Shut up, your being annoying!" Raph shouted as he punched his younger brother in his arm. "And no we are not freaked out" He added speaking for everyone. "But seriously we didn't see those the other night so what's up with that." That came out a little coarser than what he wanted.

"Its complicated, this is not something I can control very well. Sometimes I can turn my eyes back to their normal state if I focus. Tonight my mind is on other things." She said looking him in the face for the first time since he saw her outside his room. "it's one of the few benefits of my….curse."

"Benefits, how?" Leo said.

Raph watched as she walked past everyone and faced the docks. She put her hands together and made some sort of symbol. He couldn't make out what she was doing. Everyone, including him, fell silent as they waited. The seconds felt like hours to Raph as he waited impatiently.

"Forty-two" She said all of a sudden.

"What?" everyone said at the same time.

"Forty-two foot soldiers are on the docks right now. Most of them are north of the containers. Only 10 or so are actually near the container guarding it, the rest are walking the perimeter." She stated flatly.

Everyone looked at her in shock. Raph wondered how she could tell that. They were not even close enough to see anyone yet let alone count them. He was shocked and amazed at the same time. That had to be one of the coolest things he's seen since they got back from space years ago. Leo then walked up to her and stood beside her staring out at the docks as well. What was he hoping to see?

"How can you tell that; we are not even close to the docks yet?" Leo said with skepticism in his voice.

She then looked at him, she seemed offended by his statement. She then pointed at her eyes. "These are not just for show you know!" She spat at him. Raph laughed on the inside. If looks could kill, they would be finding a new leader. She then turned and walked away from him. To his surprise she came and stood by him. She them motioned everyone to come closer to her.

"If I can focus my ki into my eyes then I can see…their life force or something like that I don't quite understand it well myself. I can sense were they are at and I can also see perfectly in the dark with these." She once again motioned to her eyes. "When I became a Yoru-senshi they didn't exactly hand me an instruction book ya know." She said delivering that last statement directly to Leo. This make Raph chuckle a bit under his breath.

"Now, I would be happy to answer more questions later." She said looking at Mikey. "but we have more important things to deal with now. We don't have long before they decide to start moving containers around. When they do that the girls will be harder to find. Do you have the map Donnie?"

"Yes I do." He said as he handed it to her. She then opened it up and motioned Casey over to take a look.

"Ok getaway driver, you will park on this side street and wait for April to get the girls in the van." She then motioned to another part of the map. "This is about were the safe house is. I don't care which path you take, but if someone is following you I need you to try and lose them. Me and Raph will be watching from the roof tops"

"No problem, Casey Jones is…" He started to say before he was cut off by Zelenia.

"Ok then, team one are you ready?" She had changed her voice to a serious tone. "Remember, when we give you the signal you retreat. There is no need for you to remain in the fight when it is not needed."

"You got it!" Donnie said as him and his two brothers started their sneaking their way to the docks.

"April and Casey why don't you go ahead and start heading to that side street. Remember stay hidden" She said directing that last mark to Casey.

"No problem! We will see you soon." April smiled at Zelenia. They then got in to the van and started to drive away.

Raph then realized that it was just him and Zelenia….alone. This excited and scared him for some reason. It's not like he had not been alone with her in the sewer tunnel. But then again that was before she caught him checking her out. He looked at her as she stood next to him staring toward the docks. He noticed that her body had relaxed and she seemed less tense. He wanted to talk to her but she looked like she was focusing. She then put her hand on her head and winced in pain.

"ya gonna be ok?" Raph asked.

"Yeah just focusing too hard trying to see when your brothers start "distracting" the Foot so we can move in." She said, still holding her head. "They are still far off."

"So were you really worried we'd freak?" He said trying to change the subject

"Yes."

"Why?" He waited for her to answer but she did not. He then turned to look her in the eyes hoping she would answer him.

"Because everyone else has, even the people I had fought beside for years." She said with sadness. " Usually I get called a "demon" and "unholy abomination" or my favorite "evil bitch." She smiled a bit on that last comment. "Why would strangers be any different. Once people realize what I am they want me to leave."

"That's fucking stupid." Raph spit out. " didn't they ask you to be a Yoru-senshi? Are they stupid or somethin'?"

"That's a story for another time." She said as she focused her eyes once more. "Ok big guy time to move." She tapped him on the shoulder and motioned him to follow her.

Raph was surprisingly impressed by how fast she moved. When they reached the docks she was jumping and running over cargo containers with skill and grace. He almost had trouble keeping up with her as she picked up her pace. She then stopped and crouched down.

"You see that container right there, the blue one?" She said quietly. "That's the one we are after."

She paused.

"ooooh looks like we will get to crack some skulls after all" She said with excitement as she pointed at five foot soldiers walking toward the container.

Raph looked at her with amazement. She seemed just as excited as he was that they were going to get some action. Before he could respond she disappeared from his side. He watched as she flipped high into the air and landed gracefully in front of the Foot ninjas. He watched in amazement as she took them down within the blink on an eye, without even drawing her weapon. Her strikes where delivered with fast, deadly precision. He watched as she delivered a roundhouse kick to the stomach of the last Foot soldier, sending him flying into a far off cargo container. She was fast, accurate and surprisingly strong for a woman of her size. She was just as skilled as his brothers, if not more!

"You didn't leave any for me!" He said in disappointment.

"You snooze, you lose Muscles. Maybe next time I'll let you have some fun" She joked. "Now come on we are almost there." She then ran in the direction of the blue container.

Raph followed her, still shocked by what he just saw. She came up to the container and pointed at the large chain that was on the door. He knows what she wanted him to do so he grabbed the chain and pulled with all of his strength, breaking it. She then opened up the container revealing a large stack of boxes. He watched as she started chucking boxes out onto the docks. He followed her example and started throwing boxes as well hoping this was the right cargo container.

"Ok, last stack. You may want to go up top" She pointed that the top of the cargo container.

Raph looked down as she threw a few more boxes. He then heard what sounded like children's voices. This was the correct container; they did a good job trying to disguise this as a normal shipment. He then heard Zelenia talking to whoever was in the container. She was speaking in a language he was not quite familiar with. The he saw April appear a ways off, and she motioned to Zelenia signaling they were ready.

That's when Raph saw something that made him see red. Six little girls ran from the container. They were dirty, skinny and scared. The oldest one could not have been more than eight years old. Remembering what Zelenia had told him he could not believe what had or would have happened to them. He knew Shredder was pure evil but this was low even for him. He realized he was gripping the edge of the cargo container. He looked down at his hand impression he left in the metal. He then felt a hand touch his shoulder gently.

"Hey, big guy we need to go and make sure they make it safely." She said gently. She had noticed how seeing the little girls had affected him. She could understand his anger but now was not the time for that.

Raph then followed Zelenia onto the roof of the nearest building.

"Ok Ill take the path on this side of the street, you take the other side." She said. "I already radioed your brothers and they are retreating now. We may or may not get some company now that they are gone."

Raph nodded. He was still fuming over what he saw. He hoped they would run into some Foot so he could teach them a lesson. They needed to pay for this and he was just the person to collect. He watched as the van started driving down the street. Him and Zelenia jumped building to building following Casey and April. Occasionally he would glance over at her and watch her leap and bound across the terrain. She was so graceful; he'd never seen anything like it. It seemed like she was just gliding as she ran. That's when he saw a Foot ninja appear beside her. Before he could warn her she threw a shuriken, knocking him off the building. She had never even taken her eyes off the van.

"Man, glad shes on our side." He muttered to himself as he too took out a Foot soldier, kicking him into the alley below. He turned around to see two Foot soldiers had somehow made it on top of the van. He watched Zelenia jump from the top of the building and land on the moving vehicle with ease. Once again without even drawing her weapon she disarmed both and threw them off the moving van. He laughed as he saw them bouncing as they hit the street. She crouched down on top of the van, she had decided to stay there in case anymore decided to try and hitch a ride.

When the van came to a stop outside a small building she quickly made her way to the fire escape. The then knocked on the window of the second floor. She then blended into the shadows as a women stuck her head out of the window. She said something Raph couldn't quite hear and then the women closed the window and reappeared out front. She then ushered the girls quickly into the building and waved bye to Casey and April.

"Well that was a success." She stated as she suddenly appeared behind him. He had not even heard her approach, this caused him to jump. " A bit jumpy aren't we?"

"Shut up, what the hell ya thinking sneaking up on me like that. I coulda hurt ya." He growled at her.

"Hurt me" She giggled. "Not likely." She then pulled her the cloth from her face revealing a smile. She then walked over the edge of the building and looked across the street to the building the girls had disappeared into.

"Now we wait a bit." She stated "We will patrol the area a to make sure no one saw where they went."

"Why don't I message my bros and have them keep a look out too?" Raph suggested.

"Not a bad idea." She chirped. He was confused by her new behavior. Up until now she seemed angry and upset at the world. He had seen a different side of her when they talked in the tunnel but she wasn't this happy or cheerful.

"You seem to be happier than your usual angry self." He inquired.

"Its nights like tonight when I'm reminded why I became what I am." She looked into his eyes. They were not he beautiful blue that he originally liked but they were still captivating. " She pointed to the building across the street. "That makes it all worth it in the end."

"You have some kick ass ninjutsu skills." He smiled at her. "You didn't once draw a weapon."

" I was nine when sensei…father rescued me from that hellhole." She stated quietly. "He almost immediately he began training me in the art so I would never fall victim to anyone like that again. I have trained almost every day for 15 years."

 _"So she's 24 just like us"_ Raph thought to himself, hoping he got the math right. She fell silent for some time and he could tell she was deep in thought.

"Its going to be strange to call another man sensei." She said quietly.

"Im sorry"

"Don't be" She grinned. " I am thankful for the time I had with him. If it wasn't for him I don't know where I would be today, probably dead." She looked up at him. "well it's been long enough and none of us have seen or heard anything. The sun will be out soon and I can't be outside."

"Yeah we can't be outside either" He laughed. "People freak at the sight of a talking turtle, especially after the Kraang invasion a few years back."

"Your gonna have to tell me that story." She once again looked into his eyes and smiled. "I'm a little confused about bubble gum people in robot suits."

"They are not a real threat anymore. The few you see are just stragglers that got stranded here, but I don't mind tellin ya the tale about how I saved the world." Raph smirked

"hmmmm really?" She said sarcastically as she started to walk away. "Well come on let's get back."

With that she jumped off the building and disappeared into the alley. Raph ran after her, he had a feeling they were going to be walking back.


	10. Party Invite

Zelenia did not realize how far the lair was from the safe house when she decided to walk back. But to her this was better than the alternative, the van. She felt sorry for Raph but he kept reassuring her that he loved to walk and he didn't mind. She was hoping this was true because she was actually starting to enjoy his company. To her he had many admirable qualities. He was strong, a great warrior and he was protective of his family. She also did not mind his witty attitude either. They also shared the same type of humor, a little darker than most. He was the longest conversation she has had in a long time and he was easy to open up too.

Raph led her to a manhole located in a dark alley. It was a good thing they would be going underground now since the sun was close to rising. Maybe that was another reason she found herself enjoying his company. They both could not be out during the day. To him this was normal, not weird or strange.

"Well once again I'm sorry, I didn't know the lair was that far." She said kindly. "You didn't have to come with me, you know.

"Safety in numbers." Raph joked. "besides someone had to show you the way back."

The pair continued their trek down the sewer tunnel. It wasn't long before they could hear the voices of the others. They walked through the entrance to the lair and were immediately greeted by Mikey.

"Hey you two, what took you so long." He winked at Raph. Raph grabbed his face and pushed him away from him.

"Get your head out of your ass. We walked back." Raph said angrily. Zelenia snickered and walked over to the couch to sit down.

"Well while you two were "walking back" Mikey said making quotations with his fingers. " We made plans to have a little party Friday to celebrate our newest member." He then pointed at Zelenia.

"Wait, what." Zelenia said with concern in her voice. She had never really been to a party and didn't know what to think about this.

"Yeah, Friday. Me and April both had Saturday off from our jobs so we figured it would be perfect to have a drink together." Said Casey

"Drink? Like alcohol?" Zelenia questioned.

"Yeah, alcohol" He snickered. " Wait have you ever been drunk before? Or even partied?"

"Never really saw the need, to busy training." She stated flatly. "Plus if you haven't noticed am not exactly a social butterfly."

"OH MY GOD!" Mikey shouted. "This is going to be awesome! Dibs on serving her, her first drink!"

"I don't know guys, I mean I have a lot of stuff to do and I need to train." She said quickly trying to get out of this conversation. She got up and then turned to leave before anyone responded but she ran into something. She looked up to see Master Splinter.

"Actually I think you should participate in their fun." He said. "I told you that you needed to get to know everyone. This is how they have fun and you deserve to have a little fun yourself. Life is about balance and you need to learn to balance by adding a little fun into your routine."

"Yes, Master Splinter." Zelenia answered as she bowed her head. Great, she thought, this is going to be interesting. Splinter was definitely a little different from her father.

"WOOHOO! Looks like it's a parrrrtaaaaaay!" Mikey shouted behind her.

"This will be fun, don't worry too much about it." April said as she came to stand beside Zelenia. "It will be nice for a change to have a girl to hang out with, the last chick I was friends with turned out to be a crazy Krang robot and tried to kill us." She laughed.

"Yeah come mon, you aint gonna chicken out on me are ya?" Raph said as he jokingly punched her arm.

"Well when you put it like that, I guess if have too." She smiled at both of her new friends.

"This is going to be epic!" Said Casey. "I know exactly what we are going to do. Ill bring the booze!"

Zelenia spaced out as the others continued talking. She was nervous about Friday night but she was starting to get used to being around them. Maybe it wouldn't be to bad to "let loose" and have a drink or two. Man, how her life has changed in the last few days. It had actually made her tired. Maybe she could finally get a good night's rest…..or well days rest in her case.

Only two days to mentally prepare for Friday.

Thursday

Zelenia found herself needing some much needed alone time. Everyone was wonderful but she still wasn't used to being around others. She found out how socially awkward she was every time she had a conversation. It was a little stressful to worry about what to say and worrying that what you said wasn't right. Luckily the sewers had many tunnels and chambers for her to explore. This almost made up for the smells. They told her that eventually she would go "noise blind" as Mikey put it soon. God, she hoped it was soon. Living in Tokyo she had thought she had smelt it all.

She continued to walk the tunnels as memories of Tokyo ran through her mind. New York City was large but it had nothing on Tokyo which had to be twice as big. She always loved looking at the skyline at night when the building lit up like stars. When she was younger she would walk out to the lake in Chicago just to look at the lights. It was her only escape.

Zelenia came on a clearing in the tunnels and decided to explore. She was in what appeared to be another abandoned subway station, similar to the lair. This was much smaller and had a rusty old subway car in the middle still on the tracks. She wondered how many places like this existed under the city, lost to the world above. She was lost in thought when she sensed a presence, but this one was familiar. "No threat, calm down" she told herself. She then concentrated on the person's energy and knew it was Raph. What was up with him following her around the tunnels?

"Why do you feel the need to follow me like a lost puppy?" She shouted at him. "Raph"

"How do you do that, its amazingly creepy." Raph said walking into the abandoned station.

"I have control over my energy and can sense others. I have memorized everyone's energy signature." She stated. "Now why are you following me?". Her voice now sounded more hostile.

"Am I not allowed to walk around the sewers." He spat. "I fucking live here you know."

"There are miles of other tunnels, the odds that you just ended up following me by accident is impossible" She glared at him. She wondered how this had taken a wrong turn so fast.

"Whatever." He growled. "I'm not a lost puppy! And I'm not stalking ya either!" He then turned to leave.

"I never said you were stalking me." She glared, she hated when people put words in her mouth. "But if the shoe fits Cindy."

He turned and growled at her.

Zelenia felt bad about how their conversation was ending. This is not how she wanted to start out with anyone here. She was used to pushing people away and being alone out of fear. She did not have to do that anymore but it was almost second nature. Her attitude problem didn't help matters much either.

"Wait." She said just loud enough to hear. " Im sorry, I just don't like being followed or having someone behind me." Hopefully that would smooth things over.

"I didn't mean to follow you." He turned to face her. "Well….. I did …but I didn't."

Silence

"You see I need some me time." He continued. " I love my family but stay here long enough and you will see why I need a break. I was roaming around and I saw you. I was curious and wanted to see where you are going."

"That's still stalking." She smiled hoping he knew she was joking. "And I know you're not a puppy, they are way cuter."

"Yeah I see ya point. I guess my people skills aint the greatest either." He said.

There was another awkward silence. Zelenia did not know what to do or say. She hadn't had a casual conversation in a long time. She didn't know what to talk about, but she knew this silence was getting to her.

"So, Friday." She said. She then gave herself an internal palm slap to the face. "Really, Zelenia? Friday? That's the best you got." She yelled at herself, god she was failing miserably. Raph must have saw that she was having some sort of argument with herself.

"You still nervous about drinking." He said trying to continue the conversation she started, hoping it would ease her obvious embarrassment.

"Its kinda sad you know, 24 years old and never had a drink." She said. "You must think I'm a boring prude."

"Oh, your definitely not boring." He smiled. "Not many women can kick some serious ass!"

"Still, kinda got me thinking about everything else I have missed out on." She then began walking around the rusted old subway car. She ran her hand against the rough texture, thinking about all the things she wished she could have done.

"I know how that feels." He followed her as she continued to walk. "Can't do much as a giant talking turtle."

"True" she stated.

"So any hobbies besides giving pavement facials" Raph inquired

"I used to sketch and play the guitar." She continued. " My father introduced them to me when I was younger to help me cope with what happened to me. It helped and I was able to deal with everything and move on." She couldn't believe she was once again spilling her guts to this person. "But having a nomadic lifestyle it is hard to carry around those things."

"And poetry?" he asked. " I heard you the first night we talked in the tunnels, before you about stabbed me."

"I read but not write. I'm not that sappy."

"Fair enough"

"So what about you?" she then stopped and walked around him to get a better look. Man he was a sight to behold, his arms were huge. "No let me guess, working out?"

"Yeah pretty much, and riding my motorcycle." He smirked. "and I have been known to draw a thing or two."

"Nice! I like motorcycles." She said excitingly. "No confined spaces."

"Well I'll take you…." Raph was cut short by his phone vibrating.

Zelenia waited patiently as he got out his phone to check it. Hopefully nothing was wrong.

"That was Mikey, time for dinner." He said, sounding a little disappointment. "Splinter wants to make sure your there. Something about eating family dinner builds a bond, blah blah blah."

"Well we better get back then." She said walking out of the old station and back into the sewer tunnels.

Friday afternoon.

Raph looked at his clock. It was only 3 pm, three more hours until Casey and April got here. He could hold off having a drink till then. He stared at the whisky bottle on his desk. He really wanted a drink, had he become an alcoholic? He had been drinking every day for almost two years. It was the only thing that numbed the painful reality that he was going to be alone forever.

"No." he thought. " I can wait."

It would be weird if he showed up to the "party" already drunk and smelling like booze. He had been hiding the severity of his problem well up until now. Plus he worried what Zelenia would think, hell she's never drank before.

"Why do I care what she thinks." He thought to himself. "I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, what makes her special."

Maybe it was because they both knew about loneliness. Yeah he had his brothers but it wasn't the same as what he had before…..she left.

He looked at the clock again. 3:15 pm.

2 hours and 45 minutes

Raph then flopped down on his bed. He realized that he was an alcoholic and it bothered him. Being a ninja is about discipline and control.

"Great" he thought. "Now I'm not even a good ninja anymore, fuck my life."

He looked at the clock

3:20 pm

Damn…


	11. Drinking Games PT 1

**Friday Night**

Zelenia found herself nervous as she heard Casey and April enter the lair. She heard Casey whooping and hollering to get everyone's attention, this made her roll her eyes. Men. She walked over to her mirror and took one last look at herself before she went out to meet everyone. Her long hair was down, something she didn't do very often. She was wearing a black long sleeve top and a pair of jeans. She checked to make sure no skin was showing. Mikey asked her earlier today why she always wore longs sleeves and pants. She didn't want to tell him to real reasons so she told him she was always cold. After some comments about females always being cold the subject did not come back up. If only they knew the real reason.

A knock at the door jarred her from her thoughts and cause her jump a little. She wished she was not always on guard but after being alone for over a year it's hard to shut it off. She walked over and opened the door, and she felt her heart skip a beat. It was Raph.

"You're not backing out on me are ya?" he smirked. "Mikey is waiting for ya"

"For what?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.

"He called dibs on serving your first shot." He stated

"So what is the "dibs" thing I keep hearing; this concept confuses me?" she said trying to change the subject.

"I'll explain later, now come on." Raph said as he motioned her into the living room.

Zelenia walked out to see the living room table covered with various bottles of alcohol and shot glasses. Next to the table was a large cooler filled with ice and beer. Casey wasn't kidding when he said he would bring the booze. She also notices that now the couches were placed in a circular shape that surrounded the table. April and Donnie were cuddled up on one of the couches, Casey and Mikey were to the right of them on the other couch, and Raph set down on the third couch and motioned me to sit by him. This brought Zelenia some joy that she got to sit by him. Finally, Leo joined them and sat in a recliner.

"Ok guys, tonight we celebrate a new member to our team." Leo said looking at Zelenia. He was about to continue what seemed to be like prepared speech before getting interrupted by Mikey.

"Ok before we are bored to death, the moment we have been waiting for!" He said in an announcer persona. "Zelenia takes her first shot!"

He then pours rum into a shot glass and hands it to her. She stared down at the shot glass and couldn't believe she was about to do this. She never had any desire to drink in the past, she had other things to worry about….and no one to invite her anyway.

"Ok so here's what you do, you put the shot glass to your lips then swallow the whole thing at once." Mikey encouraged. "Then you have to slam the glass on the table."

"Why?" She questioned. This seemed like a dumb thing to do.

"Its tradition, just do it so we can move on." Raph said sounding eager to get started.

Zelenia tipped her head back and took the shot. She cringed at the burning sensation in her throat and the terrible taste. She felt her face contort and she heard everyone clapping. She then slammed the glass on the table.

"Oh god…..that was terrible." She coughed. "Why do people drink this shit!"

Everyone laughed

"It will get better once you have some more." Said April.

"Ok everyone now that we have officially started I want to play a game." Casey said as he stood up to talk. "I know its kinda high school, but we are going to play "I have never".

"What is that?" Zelenia asked, she felt stupid for having to have someone explain this to her. She guessed this game must not have been popular in Japan.

"Ok, so we go around the room and someone says something they have never done." Casey explained. "If you have done that then you have to drink. This game relies on the honor rule, meaning no cheating by lying because you don't want to answer."

"But what if it's embarrassing or something." Asked April. " I haven't played this game either, I have just heard of it."

"That's where the "no explanation rule" comes in. If you do not want to explain yourself, we can't make you or bring it up outside the game." He told her. "We are going to play this game to let the new girl get to know us and vica versa. I'll go first, I have never eaten a bug."

Everyone but April and Casey drank.

"Really?" Casey asked in Zelenia direction. "I said that because I knew all the guys would have to drink but that was unexpected."

"Long story, no explanation." Zelenia said.

"Ok, my turn!" Mickey said. "I have never been skydiving."

"Does it count if it was unintentional." Asked Zelenia. "Cuz I been thrown out of a plane."

"Count it." Said Mikey. Zelenia and all the turtles drank.

"No explanation." She said before anyone asked, it was not something she wanted to remember. She was already three shots in and she noticed that each time it got a little easier.

"I have never gone a week without showering." April said looking at Mikey.

Mikey and Zelenia both drank. Zelenia then saw the looks of confusion and she had to remind them she has been essentially homeless for a year.

"I have never gotten arrested." Said Donnie

Casey drank

"I have never sung karaoke." Raph said

Mickey, April, Donnie and Zelenia drank

It was now Zelenia's turn. She had been trying to think of something to say this entire time. She had a few ideas but she wasn't sure which one she wanted to say. Felt everyone's eyes as they waited for her to say something.

"I have never road a rollercoaster." She said quickly.

April and Casey drank

"I have never gotten a tattoo." Leo said

Mikey, Casey, Raph and Zelenia drank

"Do you have any more besides the clan symbol." Raph smiled down at her.

"Yes and before you ask they are somewhere that isn't your business" Zelenia smiled back

"Oooooohh" Mikey winked at Raph. Raph then proceeded to flip Mikey off.

Casey then began round two

"I have never kissed someone of the opposite sex." He said.

Zelenia drank shocking everyone.

"So are you into women?" Mikey said with wide eyed anticipation. "if so that is soooo hot!"

"No, it was a bet when I was 15. They didn't think I would do it." She smiled. "Showed them."

"Ok, I have never slept with someone an hour after meeting them." Mickey smiled

Raph and Casey drank. Everyone snickered

"Shut up, assholes." Raph snarled.

"I have never flashed someone." Giggled April

Zelenia drank. "Another bet." She said and motioned everyone to move on.

"I have never smoked a cigarette." Donnie stated proudly

Casey, Raph and to everyone's surprise Leo drank

"I never watched porn with someone." Raph smiled

Casey drank. Everyone laughed as he muttered "fuck off" under his breath.

"I have never been scared of horror movies" Leo stated

Donnie and Mikey drank.

"Ok guys round three. Everyone start by taking a shot." Casey said tipping his shot glass back. "Ok now time to bump it up a notch. I have never shot a gun."

April drank

"I have never been in handcuffs" Mikey smirked

Raph, April, Donnie and Zelenia drank. April and Donnie both turned red.

"Oh really now." Raph whispered to Zelenia.

"Not the way you're thinking hornball." She whispered back.

"Damn." He smiled

"I have never smoked weed." April stated trying to change the subject, obviously embarrassed

Casey, Raph and Mikey drank. Leo shot them a dirty look.

"I have never actually been shot" Donnie continued. "I have been shot at, a lot, but never been hit."

Raph, Casey, Leo and Zelenia drank.

"How many times?" Donnie asked Zelenia. She thought about not answering but she decided what the heck. Maybe the alcohol was starting to affect her composure.

"I think five times." She said trying to make a mental count. "Five times for sure, for some reason I can't quite remember."

"That's the booze, my dear." Said Mikey "Congrats your almost drunk"

"Damn, that's a lot." April said to Zelenia

"Yeah when I was first started to patrol the city of Tokyo when I was about 16 or 17 by myself. I made a few mistakes in those early days." She laughs. She didn't know why it was funny or why she was laughing.

"I have never written a song" said Raph

Donnie and Zelenia drank

"I never went to school." Zelenia said

All the turtles drank.

"Really?" a few of them said at once

"Yup." Zelenia said "My mother never enrolled me, fucking bitch didn't want me on record or something. It wasn't until father found me that someone taught me. When he found out that I never went to school and didn't know how to read or write he decided to teach me himself. He wanted to save me the embarrassment I think. But he was a great teacher and taught me to read and write both English and Japanese."

" I have never tried to commit suicide." Leo said.

Zelenia drank. Everyone fell silent.

Zelenia felt like this deserved an explanation so they didn't think she was some crazy suicidal person. It was something she regretted doing and would never attempt it again.

"It was right after the ritual was performed on me. People that I had grown up with told me I was a monster and that I should have died. My dickface boyfriend told me that he couldn't be with me because he didn't consider me a person anymore, he called me a freak. I thought I brought shame on my family and felt that seppuku was the only way to regain my honor."

"What the fuck is seppuku." Asked Casey

"It's a ritrual suicide that is part of the bushido honor code." Said Donnie

"Anyway to wrap up this wonderful story." She continued sarcastically. " Father found me and stopped me. He convinced me that I wasn't a monster and that I had not brought dishonor on the family. Then I decided that everyone sucks, men are assholes, and I moved on."

"Sorry that happened to you." April said softly.

"It wasn't as bad as it sounds. No one ever really accepted me fully anyway. I mean I stood out a lot since I wasn't Asian." Zelenia snickered. " Plus me and dickface had only been together for a few months, so no big loss there." Zelenia couldn't believe she was spilling her guts to people she hasn't known very long, but she felt comfortable….like she belonged. Or it was the dozen or so shots she had. She didn't care, all she knew was that she felt fuzzy and she was hot. She wished she could take off her shirt. "Anyway let's move on please!"

"I have never accidentally set myself on fire." Leo quickly changed the subject. Zelenia was glad that he seemed to understand her discomfort.

Donnie, Mikey and Casey drank

"Ok that ends round three." Casey announced. "So Zelenia, how do you feel?"

"Weird and fuzzy" She smiled. "And hot."

Everyone yelled in excitement.

"What the hell?" She looked to Raph for answers. He then explained to her that those were signs that she was getting drunk. They were excited that she was officially drunk for the first time. She wondered why this was something to celebrate, but honestly she didn't care anymore. She then shouted with them.

"Why don't you change into something cooler? I mean you have to be burning up in that outfit." Leo asked.

"Never gonna happen." Zelenia said defensively. "I got my reasons and I don't want to explain, end of story"

Everyone was silent for a moment until Casey spoke up.

"Ok guys we can go another round or move on to something else." He said

Everyone agreed to move on to something else. Mikey turned on some music while the group discussed what they wanted Zelenia to try next.

Zelenia listened in on what the group was discussing. She still felt a little embarrassed that she didn't know any of the games that they were talking about. But she quickly pushed that thought from her head. She looked at Raph who was still setting beside her, and she suddenly had the urge to kiss him.

 _"That has to be the booze talking."_ She thought to herself. She had not wanted anything to do with a man for years, why now? She found herself staring at his beautiful green eyes and his rippling muscles.

 _"NO!"_ She yelled at herself. _"Wasn't what happened last time enough?"_

She luckily left the rest of the story about her so called "boyfriend" out when she was rambling. Nope, not worth it…..or was it. While she was having an internal battle with herself the group had decided to play beer pong. She had no idea what that was but she was ready for anything. For the first time in forever she was having fun and laughing. It's been years since that has happened.

"Ok, lets play!" She shouted


	12. Drinking Games PT 2

Drinking Games Pt 2

Raph smiled as he listened to April try and explain beer pong to a drunk Zelenia. Anyone could tell that she had never been drunk before. Raph was feeling his alcohol a little as well but after two years of abusing his body he was now a seasoned drunk. While he had drunk as much as everyone else he was hardly feeling it. But tonight he was glad that he was not as drunk as everyone else because he got to watch Zelenia enjoy herself. For some reason seeing her happy was making him feel happy inside. Something he thought he would never feel again. She was laughing and smiling, she was definitely a happy drunk. He was glad about this because he had seen her in action and even he didn't want to get on her bad side.

He was also amazed that he had learned so much about her tonight. Her past was just as tattered as his. She had once had a boyfriend who betrayed her. She was also a loner and a hermit, well was. He knew she was holding something else back but he was not going to probe to much tonight. But alcohol did give her a loose tongue that was for sure. She probably told us more tonight about herself than she has the entire week she has been here. He decided that this was something to keep in mind. He was also wondering why she refused to show any skin. She always wore long sleeves and pants everywhere. And she made it clear to Leo earlier that it was not about to change. Raph also wondered if her fiery spirit spilled over into the bedroom. Raph loved a good changeling and Zelenia defiantly was one.

Casey and Mikey had just finished up setting the table. The group had decided that they were going to play turtles vs humans. Leo decided he was done for the night, no surprise there, Mr. Goody-Goody never truly let himself go. So it was Raph, Mikey and Don vs Zelenia, April and Casey.

"Oh yeeea you guys are goin down!" Mikey shouted as he began the game.

"Just shut up and get going so we can win already" Zelenia smiled.

And win they did. It became apparent that even though Zelenia was drunk she still had incredible aim. April wasn't bad herself either, she made most of her shots as well. Casey on the other hand was not holding his liquor well. He even fell backwards once busting his ass on the floor. April and Zelenia laugh hysterically as they pulled him up back to his feet. But even with Casey being all but useless they still one two rounds in a row.

After this Don and April decided that they were going to sneak off to their room. The way they were grabbing and molesting each other on the way there explained why. Raph cringed as a image came into his brain that he wished he could get out. Casey was passed out on the floor and Mikey stumbled halfway to his room, fell, then crawled the rest of the way. Raph was going to leave Casey passed out on the floor but Zelenia made him help her get him to the couch and cover him up. God, how was she still not passed out?

"I cant believe you were going to leave your friends on tha floor." She said slowly trying not to slur.

"It's a man thing and a party thing, unless they are in some danger leave them lie." Raph laughed as he looked into her confused eyes.

"Still a dick move." She said as she stumbled to the couch across from were Casey was now sleeping.

"How are ya still awake?" Raph laughed as he sat next to her.

"May have something to do with my healing factor?" She suggested

"Maybe"

"How are u not gone?"

"Lots of practice"

"You practice drinking? Why?" She said innocently

"No….just nevermind, shitty word choice" He laughed as he watched her touch her face. "What are ya doing?

"My face feels numb and hot" She said still poking her face

Raph continued to laugh at her

"Am I funny to you?" She growled. "I could still kick your ass…..maybe"

She then started laughing again…yep drunk

Raph was about to say something when they heard moaning and giggling from Donnie's lab. Raph assumed that they never made it to the bedroom and they thought everyone else was asleep.

"Are they?" She smiled

"Fuck yeah" he growled. He did not want to hear his brother humping his girl a few yards away.

"How's that work" She said as she made a 0 with one hand and poked a finger through the 0 with her other hand.

"Wha…..I….What the fuck" He was shocked by her boldness. "I never watch them do it!"

"I mean is it like a human penis or like different?" She leaned scooted closer to him and looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Umm I don't know I never bothered to do a side by side of my dick!" He snapped

"Why do defensive?" She giggled

"YOUR ASKING ME ABOUT MY DICK!" He yelled

"Your no fun" she frowned. "Pussy"

Raph growled. How was she able to get him both embarrassed and angry at the same time?

"Your drunk, ya need to go to bed." He said quickly.

"I thought that was the point of tonight, and fuck off don't tell me what to do." She said as she pointed her finger in his face. "You don't own me"

"I _never_ said I did." Raph was now confused

"Good, cuz I aint letting that shit happen again." She said as she took a drink off a beer she opened.

"Again?" He inquired. Thankful that the conversation wasn't about his dick anymore.

"Yea, whateva its over." She stared down at her bottle

"Dickface?" He questioned as he remembered that was the only thing she called him.

"Yeah, kinda, not really, but not just him. It's complicated." She was now in deep thought

"Ok? That's not confusing at all." Raph said, hoping to get more out of her. She was hiding something; he could feel it. He wanted to know what it was, he felt like he needed to know.

"Look, it's not any of your business and I'm not talking about it right now. Your killing the mood right now….mood killer."

She then took a few more drinks of her beer. Raph wanted to ask more but he did not want to scare her off. Why did he want to know about her so much? He had been watching he the entire night and he still felt like he had not had enough of her. He was wondering what the hell was happening to him, when did he become such a sappy bitch.

"You know" She paused for a while, like she could not figure out what she was going to say. "Maybe I do need sleep.

She then stood up and stumbled over, grabbing the couch to catch herself.

"Wow, woohoo that was fun" She smiled at him. "The floor moved"

He then watched as she used the couch and then the wall to slowly make it to her room.

"Ya want some help with that?" he laughed

"NO!...yea…..maybe" She leaned up against the wall. "I think I drank to much"

"No shit" Raph then walked over to help her to her room. "Come one drunkie"

Zelenia then wrapped herself around his arm as he lead them towards their rooms. Raph could feel her warmed and he wanted more of it. She was barely touching him and he could feel his loins ache. It had to be the alcohol, that's the only explanation. They reached her room and he opened the door for her. She let go of his arm and then leaned up against his chest. Her beautiful blue eyes looking up at him.

"My knight in green armor" She giggled running her fingers along his shoulder.

"Ye…aah if ya say so" He stuttered trying to control his breathing. She was so close; he could feel her pressed up against him. He could smell her hair. Lavender and vanilla. Why was he reacting like a teenage boy? She then got up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

" A token of my gratitude" She joked as she stumbled into her room and shut the door. He heard her hit her bed and knew she would be fine now.

She kissed him. Yeah just on the cheek but she kissed him. She didn't find him repulsive…or a freak. His heart raced in his chest and his stomach felt like it was floating. If just one kiss had this effect on him what else could she do to him. He remembered how her breast felt pressed up against his plastron. He wanted more now. So much more, he wanted all of her. He wanted to tear her clothes off and ravish her right now. No, this had to be the alcohol talking. In the morning he wouldn't feel this way he hoped. Fuck, knowing his luck she would not even remember kissing him on the cheek.

Time for a cold shower….then sleep.


	13. The Morning After

**This is a short filler chapter before leading into some more serious stuff. Short an sweet!**

Raph woke up early the next morning and started making coffee for everyone. After last night he knew that they would need it. He did not get fall down drunk like everyone else but he still needed something to get him going this morning. As he was about to take the first sip of coffee he caught sight of Zelenia stumbling out of her room. And what a sight she was, her hair was a complete mess and sticking out everywhere and her clothes were messed up. Her blue eyes were blood shot and she looked like she was about to puke. Raph couldn't help but laugh.

"Good morning sunshine." He laughed

"Fuck…you…asshole" She said slowly as she made her way to the kitchen table. She then flopped down and put her head down on the table.

"How are you enjoying your first hang over." He smirked

She growled

"Hey, I thought your healing factor thing would have helped ya a bit." Raph mentioned

"Its daylight, don't work well." She mumbled into the table. Raph forgot that it only worked well at night. He still didn't know how all that worked. "My head is going to explode and im about to puke"

"Here" he handed her the cup of coffee he poured for himself, a few ibuprofens, and toast. "The coffee and meds will help with the headache and toast will help ya stomach."

"Hey! Where's my coffee and breakfast" Yelled Mikey as he entered the kitchen. "Hook a turtle up!"

"Make your own shit." Raph snapped. He wasn't a maid.

"You made stuff for her" He whined "what about your own bro?"

"She doesn't annoy me like you do" Raph said. This made Zelenia smile at him.

"Thanks, for the compliment I guess" She said lifting her head up finally. She took the ibuprofen and started to munch on her toast.

Raph tuned out Mikey as he continued to talk to him. He watches Zelenia as she drank her coffee and eat her toast. Even when she looked like a dirty homeless lady he still couldn't keep his eyes off her. Especially after last night, just a kiss on the check sent fire to his loins. He imagined what else he would like her to do to him. He had been trying to ignore his desire for over a week now and it was not working. He was so lost in thought that he had not noticed that Casey had joined them in the kitchen.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD" Zelenia growled. "Can you two keep your voices down, Jesus Christ, my head hurts"

"Man someone is a grumpy pants this morning" Mickey and Casey both laughed.

"Im warning you" She warned one last time.

Mikey and Casey continued to laugh at her. Raph could feel the tension rising from her. Before he knew it she grabbed a fork that was on the table and threw it at the wall in between Mikey and Casey. The fork hit with such accurassy and force that it stuck in the wall.

"Holy shit!" Casey gasped. Raph watched as she then reached for a spoon that he used to stir her coffee.

"You don't want to see what Ill do to you with this spoon." She glared at the pair.

"I think that me and Mikey are going to drink our coffee in the living room." Casey said as him and Mikey quickly exited the kitchen.

Raph could hear Mickey whisper to Casey as they left "Man, that women scares me." This made him laugh. He then went over to the wall and pulled the fork out the wall. Man, it was really in there. He had never seen anything like this before. He was extremely glad she was on their side, especially since she could probably take them down with silverware, he laughed to himself.

"Wow, never heard them shut up so quickly" Raph said as he sat down in front of her.

"I warned them" She said flatly. " I don't have my usual patience this morning"

"I see that."

"Why don't you have a hangover" She asked.

"Well, I didn't drink enough to get me stumbling drunk" He started

"You drank as much as everyone else" She interrupted

"I'm bigger than everyone" He started again. "Plus I am good at handling my booze, remember I have practice". He slipped that last part in there so he could see if she remembered anything from last night. He was hoping she did because maybe she meant to kiss him and if she didn't remember then he would never know.

"Yeah I remember" She finally answered. "I think I'm going to lay back down for a bit, you know give the headache meds some time to kick in before anyone else comes in for breakfast"

"Probably a good idea, we do not have a lot of silverware" He joked.

"Thank you for the toast" She said as she slowly got out of her chair. "Still my knight in green armor"

She then winked at him and Raph felt his heart skip a beat. She did remember, she could hold her liquor better than he thought. She did not seem to regret the kiss she gave him, maybe he did have a chance for something more.

"Oh, and you never answered my question" She said as she turned and walked away.

He watched her walk away, her hips and ass swaying as she walked. She was just as nice going as she was coming. He didn't know what it was about this woman who made him want her so bad but he knew now that these desires were not just going to go away. He knew she wasn't like the girls he normally hooked up with. She was special and she would take time to get close to, but she was worth the wait. He liked a challenge and she was the perfect one for him.

For the first time in years "she" didn't haunt his thoughts. He didn't realize that he hadn't looked at "her" email since Zelenia showed up. He didn't have dreams about "her" every night. He now had something to focus on besides his self-loathing and his broken heart.

He sat there, drinking his coffee, and thought about what his next move would be. He knew that she would only open up to him when they were alone so that's where he decided to start. Getting her alone.


	14. Date Night Fail

**2 weeks later**

 _Zelenia found herself alone in a dark room. She tried desperately to use her powers to see but nothing she tried worked. All she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating against her chest. Putting her arms out in front of her, she tried to feel her way around, nothing. Finally, she saw a light appear down what she assumed was a hallway. At the end of the tunnel was a door that was cracked open and she decided to go through it since she did not have any other option. She prepared herself for a fight._

 _When she exited the door she found herself in a park. The moon was shining on the lake in the center and she felt safer knowing she was not locked in a dark room any longer. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. This place seemed familiar, it wasn't New York….it was Tokyo! That's when she felt her heart drop into her stomach. She knew where she was….oh no not here. She looked down and saw blood dripping off her hands and painting her clothes red. NO not here, please not here. She turned around to run but tripped over something big. She looked back at what she tripped on and it was a body. A dead body. Not just one, but three._

 _"No this cant be happening again." She cried as she hit her knees._

Zelenia woke up sweating profusely. It was just a dream. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel her pulse in her ears. She took a deep breath and focused, she had to calm herself down. She reminded herself he had done what needed to be done, no guilt, none. She kept telling herself this as she pushed the memories back where she thought they belonged. She had not had this nightmare in years. Why now? She now realized just how much she was sweating when she put her hands to her face. She needed a bath, soaking in hot water always helped.

She grabbed her things and opened her door slowly. She looked around to see if anyone was in the living room. There was no one, they all must be asleep. She then quickly moved to the bathroom and shut the door. She carefully sat her things down on the counter and started to run a hot bath. She climbed in and sighed as she slowly lowered herself into the hot water. She then closed her eyes and started grounding herself.

She remembered how her father taught her to meditate and find her center. She always had trouble with this aspect of her ninjutsu training until one day she was in the bath after a long day of training with her "classmates". She lost every round that day and was extremely distraught. To her surprise she was able a complete meditative state. Ever since that day when she needed to center herself and get it together she would find water.

She spent the next twenty minutes soaking and meditating. After she was feeling better she got out of the tub and got dressed. She did not put her pajamas back on, instead she put her shozoku and strapped her weapons to her side. She needed to get out and patrol the city. She had not begun going on patrol with the team yet. Her new sensei said that until the group was used to each other that we should not go on missions together. Something about needing to be a well-oiled machine. He did however let her continue to patrol by herself and do her investigation that she had been working on since she got here. She guessed that since she had been working alone for over a year he must know that she could handle herself.

"Where ya going, Z" Raph said cockily

"You know I hate that fucking name, Raphie" She responded sarcastically. He had started calling her that last week and she did not like it at first. But now that everyone used it as a nickname for her she had gotten used to it. So after talking to his brothers she found out a nickname he hated and she started calling him "Raphie". It pissed him off and she loved it.

He growled at her. That seemed to be his favorite response for almost everything at made angry. She found it kinda sexy and masculine. Maybe that's why she felt the need to poke the bear. There was something about him that was raw and primal. She found this to be quite a turn on for her, but she would never admit it to anyone. Hell she hardly admitted it to herself.

"Look I'm going out on my patrol." She said as she turned from him and started towards the exit.

"Not a good idea to go out alone" He said as he followed her out. She could tell he wanted to go with her, she wanted him to go as well but she would never admit that to him.

"Fuck off, you go out all the time alone when you have a temper tantrum!" She laughed "Besides Im a better fighter than you, I can handle myself"

"Oh really, pipsqueak?" He challenged.

"Pipsqueak? I'm probably just as strong if not stronger than you on a good night" She replied "Plus I have brains, something you obviously lack"

"Is that a challenge?" He smiled slyly. He loved to challenge her for some reason. She didn't know why but she found this exciting. It had been years since someone but him challenged her. With almost her entire clan back home mildly scared of her no one bothered her.

"Maybe" She giggled. "When I get back we should spare in the dojo. It has been a long time since I had a sparring partner."

" _Its been a long time since I had any type of partner_ " She groaned to herself.

"I can't wait to take ya down" He smirked. " So where we headed?"

"We?" she questioned

"Ya, I know you're out looking for action" He said "I have seen that face before. I'm bored and need some action"

"Fine, but only because you are bullet proof and I may need some cover" She joked.

"Use me however you want" he said seductively. She could tell he meant that to have a double meaning. She had noticed that over the last two weeks he was making these types of comments to her. Almost like he was testing the waters. She thought nothing of it at first but now she was beginning to wonder if he really wanted her that way. This would be the first time they would be completely alone outside of the lair. This was going to be an interesting night.

 **2 hours later**

They had been on patrol for a while now and had not luck gathering the information she wanted. She learned a few weeks ago that the purple dragons agreed to gather girls for the foot clan. Normally she would not really bother with these petty criminals as long as they were not hurting anyone but this she could not ignore. She had to find out who exactly was going out in search of girls to sell. So far everyone she "interviewed" knew nothing. She could read people very well and she knew that they were telling the truth. Maybe her lead was a dead end. Or meant to throw her off. Something was up and she had to find out what.

"So that was fun" Raph said as he knocked out the last of the Purple Dragons.

"Ya, let's move further north" She ordered

"Yes, Ma'am" He smiled. She found his smile just as intoxicating as his growl. Every time he smiled she felt her stomach flutter.

 _"What is wrong with you?"_ She yelled at herself. _"No one has made you act like this in years, why now? Stop acting like a bitch in heat"_

 **1 hour later**

Well it was official, the lead she thought she had was a dud. No one knew what was going on and honestly the Purple Dragons seemed offended when she would ask about them selling girls to the sex trade. She realized that even for criminal scum bags they did have some lines they would not cross. Now she stood on a roof top of an abandoned warehouse staring at the stars. Empty handed.

"What's up?" Raph said, breaking her from her trance.

"Nothing just thinking" She lied. Something was wrong, she could feel it. But she was probably just stressed out and pissed off. She decided to brush it off for now.

"Ya know it's pretty dead around this area. We could have that sparing match now" He urged.

"Man are you that desperate to get your ass beat?" She laughed. "Fine, hand to hand, no weapons"

He seemed to accept her terms because a moment later he removed his sais and put them on the ground. She then unstrapped her kodachi and put them next to his weapons.

"Now the rest of them" he demanded with a smile. He knew she had extra weapons on her.

"You know me so well already" she giggled as she lifted the leg of her pants and tossed aside her extra kunai knives.

She took her stance and signaled him to come at her. Her father taught her the key to most battles is to exploit your enemies' weakness. She had been studying him since they first met to find such a weakness. In Raph's case his size was his strength but also his weakness. He could not move as fast as her or dodge as quick. All she had to do was avoid getting hit and move faster than him. He ran towards her and threw a punch towards her head, she easily ducked, side stepped and kneed him in the plastron. She then did a back flip to clear his strike zone. She watched as he quickly recovered and came at her once more. She ran to door that accessed the roof while she listened to his movements, when he was about to strike she ran up and jump off the door, causing him to punch the door instead of her. She then delivered a spin kick to his shell and he hit the door hard. Once again she moved further away to avoid getting hit.

She could tell he was getting frustrated. This was the time to go on the offensive. She ran to him and as he tried to strike her again she grabbed his arm and hit the pressure point her father taught her. This caused his arm to lose feeling and become useless. She knew it would not last long so she took this time to once again kick him in the plastron. He growled at her and she saw the pissed off look in his eyes. He then rushed her again.

"Really?" she thought to herself. "When would he realize that would not work?"

She blocked his various kicks and punches. He was stronger than she anticipated, those muscles were not just for show. She knew she had to take him down fast. She saw her opportunity when he once again tried to punch her. She grabbed his arm and used his body weight to flip him over. She then twisted his arm and put her foot on the back of his shell. This was a type of hold her father taught her. If he moved she twisted harder, dislocating his shoulder.

"I have feeling I know why you said no weapons" He groaned

"Father was a Master at Tai Jutsu, the art of fighting with no weapons" She explained "It was years before I picked up an actual weapon and used it. Do you surrender?"

"NO!" He shouted as he managed to kick her feet out from under her. She did not take into account that he was a foot and a half taller than the average man. She should have watched his feet. She hit hard and before she knew it they were wrestling for control on the ground. He managed to temporarily pin her down but she was able to quickly kick him off her. They continued to fight until he managed to kick her up against the same door she used against him moments ago. She expected for him to attack her now but instead he pinned her to the wall and kissed her.

She froze, trying to figure out what was going on. His lips were warm and soft. Not what she had expected from a turtle. She felt her head spin and she lost the ability to breath. He then stopped kissing her and pulled away. She immediately missed his touch. He looked at her disappointed.

"Im sorry I didn't mean to…" He trailed off. She then realized his mistook her reaction as her rejecting him. He turned to walk away but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Lifting her hands to his face she then crushed her lips against him once more. Sucking in his bottom lip she gave it a small bite. He used his body to press her harder into the wall, pressing up against her. He then ran his hands around her back, slowly lowering to her waist. They finally broke their passionate kiss but he did not let her from the wall.

"Sorry" she panted "Its been so long since something like that has happened it took me off guard"

"Oh really, how long?" He nuzzled her neck, causing her knees to shake.

"Four years or so" She admitted. Four years of celibacy, no wonder she was so turned on right now.

"Holy shit" he laughed. "We will have to change that"

She then felt a bit weird, like something was draining the life out of her. That's when she noticed the sunrise. How could she be so stupid and not pay attention to the time.

"Raph we need to go right now!"

"What? Why?" He was confused. She then pointed to the sun that was slowly rising over the horizon. She ran and grabbed her weapons and descended the building. She prayed that there was a manhole near.

 _"Figures, finally about to get laid and now I'm going to fry to death. Just my luck"_ She thought as she felt her legs getting tired. Her fight with Raph early had drained her strength as well. Raph must have noticed her strengthen wearing thin because before she could respond he grabbed her, threw her over his shoulders and started running to the alley.

"Raph" she said

"I know, don't carry ya" He groaned

"No, move a bit faster please" She tried to smile.

He jumped down the nearest manhole and jumped down into the sewers, out of the sun. After a while she felt him sit her down. She realized she as by the old subway car she found weeks ago. She did not realize the abandoned warehouse was close to here. She put her hands over her eyes and rubbed them. They burned a bit but she knew they would be ok.

 _"Dumbass shouldn't have looked at the sunrise directly"_ She scolded herself

"You ok?" Raph said as he knelt down beside her and putting his arms around her shoulder.

"Yeah just give me a minute" She slowly opened her eyes. They were a bit fuzzy but slowly they cleared.

"Im…sorry…I didn't…..ya know mean for…." He stammered. She had never seen him lost for words or generally upset about something.

"Na its fine, needed to work on my tan anyway." She joked hoping to make him feel better.

"Finally get ya alone and I almost get ya killed" He finally smiled.

"honestly not the first time that has happened" She laughed "Hence why I haven't dated in four years"

"Well, the only thing to do now is to make it up ta ya" He hinted. "I'll have to take you to dinner tomorrow, only way to say sorry."

"You just want to get me alone again" she winked at him.

"Maybe" he whispered as he leaned in and stole another kiss.

"Well for now you can help me back to my room. I can see but my eyes are still hurting" She said as she took his hand and followed him back home.


	15. The Redo

1 Day Later

For the first time in forever Raph felt….happiness. He was surprised that Zelenia did not reject him like he knew she would. They have been flirting back and forth for some time but he thought it was just for fun on her end. He looking in the mirror and frowned. He should not get himself excited over nothing. He would most likely fuck this up like he did with "her". But he decided to enjoy this while it lasted, besides he already invited her out again and she agreed, can't turn back now. This shocked him too, he almost got her hurt but she was willing to give him a second chance. Maybe she wasn't like the other women he has been with.

Then another thought crossed his mind. What if she was just hanging out with him because he was the only option or she was desperate. Hell, she told him she hasn't been with someone for four years. It would make sense she would get what she could. But he shook that thought from his mind, she wasn't like that either. He didn't know what to make of this situation they were in. He honestly didn't plan this far ahead; he was sure she would reject him. Shit, he didn't mean to actually make out with her last night…it just happened. She was so graceful and beautiful as she was kicking his ass. It turned him on so much he was willing to take the chance. He realized he must definitely be as masochist.

Raph had thought about what they were going to do tonight. Most of the time he didn't give a shit about what other people thought but this time was different. He wanted to impress her, which in her case was going to be hard. When it came to dinner that was easy. He only had one true option, Murakami's. Even after all these years he still was an ally to the turtles. All they had to do was call and let him know they wanted to stop by and he would let them in the shop after he closed. He had already made the call and he was expecting them after business hours.

Raph decided to text her to see if she was ready. Donnie finally got her a t-phone and got her patched into their next work. _Took him long enough_ , Raph thought.

 **Raph: Hey you ready**

 **Z: Yeah**

 **Raph: Wait for you by the entrance**

 **Z: K**

So Raph stood there and waited for her at the entrance. When she turned the corner and he saw her his heart skipped a beat. She was wearing a dark blue, long sleeve shirt that was definitely low cut. Her jeans fit her just right and they made her ass look amazing. She wore no makeup as usual but her hair was down for once and styled. She was also….carrying her weapons. Her blades were strapped to her hips and he could see that she had her kunai knives right above her boots.

"So do you typically bring your weapons on dates?" He laughed

"Yeah" She said in a matter of fact tone. "Don't you?"

"Yeah" He said, he just never thought she would. At least not visibly.

"Exactly" She said "Unless you can assure me that there is absolutely 0% chance that the Foot, Purple Dragons, or some other psycho isn't out tonight then I'm taking them"

"Besides who says this is a date" She smiled. She then walked passed him and headed for he exit.

 _"Playing hard to get, fine two can play at that game"_ Raph thought to himself as he followed her.

Thirty minutes later they arrived at Murakami's. They stood on a roof top across the street and waited for him to signal them that everyone had left. A few seconds later he opened and closed the blinds.

"Ok, let's go" Raph said jumping down into the alley.

"Wait, you are actually going inside the restaurant?" Zelenia was confused

"Yeah, Murakami is cool people. He has known about us for years" Raph said as he led her to the restaurants back door.

"Ill just wait her" She insisted. He decided not to push her.

"Ahh Raphael, it has been a long time since you have come" The old blind man greeted him.

"I know, I just been busy." Raph said sitting down at the counter.

"Well, here is your order, try not to have too much fun." The old man joked.

Raph took his order, said his goodbyes and then exited the building.

"So where are we going" Zelenia questioned.

"I got a spot for us picked out" Raph smiled.

Raph then lead Zelenia through various alleyways and roof tops. Raph took random paths to make sure that they were not being followed. They finally arrived at an old abandoned building and went inside. Raph led her to a section he had modified into a small living space. He would come out here when he needed to be alone. It was perfect because not only was this building completely abandoned but the surrounding buildings were as well. Because of this not many people came around. It also had a beautiful view of the New York skyline.

He was nervous about bringing her here. Nothing says romantic quite like a rundown building. But it was not like he had to many options if he wanted them to be alone. He watched her walk around and get a good look at their surroundings. He was worried about what she was going to say. The furniture was old; all things he had found on the street or in the dump. There was a large couch and love seat that surrounded a scratched up coffee table. To the far corner of the large room was a make shift bedroom with a bed, night table and a dresser.

Since his family didn't know where this was he had not had Donnie hook up electricity yet so the only light they had where the candles that Raph lit when they first came in. One day he would swallow his pride and ask his genius brother for help, but not for a while. Luckily it was a cool evening so they would not have to worry about freezing or sweating their asses off.

"Wow, that view is beautiful" She said as she looked out the window. Raph then walked over and looked out the window with her. He breathed a sigh of relief, she saw the beauty in this dump just like he did.

"I know, its perfect" He whispered.

"I mean its not as big as the Tokyo skyline" She smiled at him. "But better than Chicago's"

"Whateva" He grumbled playfully.

They stood in silence for a while as they looked at the city lights.

"Do you ever miss it?" Raph asked

"What"

"Tokyo"

"Sometimes, but ever since father died it hasn't felt like home. I know that sounds weird."

"No it doesn't"

Silence. He looked at her facial features. She seemed deep in thought, and smiled.

"What?" He asked softly

"Looking at the skyline reminds me when I was a young kid in Chicago I would walk out to the pier near Lake Michigan and stare at the skyline when I was upset. Same when I was in Tokyo, except I would climb to the top of the buildings and enjoy the view. Something about staring at the lights…seemed calming, ya know"

"Yeah" He knew, that's why he picked this place as his oasis. "Let's eat before it gets cold"

They sat on the large couch and began eating their meal. He watched her intently never really taking his eyes off her for too long. He thought she was beautiful, especially in the dim candle light. He still could not figure out how they ended up here. It was something out of a dream, a dream he was hoping wouldn't turn into a nightmare. They talked about many things, just simple small talk mostly at first. But eventually talked more about themselves. Raph hung on to every word, he wanted to know all he could about her. She had been living with them for some time now but none of them knew all that much about her. The only two people she really talked to was himself and April. Which made him feel special for some reason.

After they finished their meal he found himself getting closer to her. He wanted to be near to her but also did not want to scare her off. She was receptive to him when they made out on the roof, but maybe that was a fluke or something. But then again she did agree to go out with him tonight. While Raph was having his internal battle in his mind he did not notice that she two was moving closer to him. While he was trying to figure out she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

"Sorry, you were taking too long" she winked at him. With a growl he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She felt so small against him and he felt almost like he could break her. Those thoughts were pushed from his mind as he felt her snake her arms around his next and pull herself up to look him in his eyes. He crushed his lips against hers, almost violently. Her lips were soft and moist, everything he knew they would be. He heard her let out a small moan and he took this as permission to continue his assault.

He broke their kiss and then pulled her into his lap to help make up for the size difference. He began slowly trailing small kisses from her ear to her shoulder and back up. When he reached to crook of her neck he gave her a small nip and he felt her inhale deeply and pull him closer. So she likes being bit, he thought as he continued. He moved to the other side of her neck and starting giving her small love bites from her neck to her shoulder. He could feel her heart rate increase the harder he bit her. The smell of Her arousal was now accosting his senses and making it hard to control himself. As much torture as it was he decided to stop himself and make sure this is what she wanted.

He pulled his lips away from her neck, he could already see small welts were he had nipped her starting to form on her skin. In some strange way this gave him feeling of satisfaction and possession. The look of pure lust on her face was almost enough to send him back over the edge of no return. She slowly opened her eyes and he noticed that they were not longer their normal shade of blue, they had turned black just like the night at the docks. She must have noticed this as well because moments later because she then covered her eyes with her hands and turned away.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry" She exclaimed. "I lost focus and I could not control them"

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment." Raph smiled, hoping to make light of the situation. He did not know why she reacted like she did. Like he would reject her just because her eyes changed colors. Maybe someone had in her past, which would explain why she was so embarrassed about them and why she had not been with anyone physically in so long. He still didn't see what the big deal was, they didn't bother him at all. He took his hand and gently put his hand on her cheek.

"Why ya freaking out?" he asked bluntly. "I don't care what ya look like, fuck I'm a turtle! I have more of a right to be worried about my looks"

"I take it you're not the superstitious type then" she finally faced him.

"What does superstition have to do with anything?" He was now confused, he seemed to be missing what she was trying to say.

"Have you not heard of the legend of the black-eyed people?"

"Umm, no . should I have?"

"The black eyed people are a type of ancient Japanese Yokai and are a bad omen. They have human appearance but have very pale skin, almost white, and they have pure black eyes. It is said that they will ask to get permission into your home. The people who see a black eyed person have an enormous feeling of fear and dread."

"That's….interesting" Raph almost said "freaky" but that would only make her feel worse.

"Oh it gets better" She continued as she laid her head against him. "the myths say that if a human gets to close they will feel pure evil. The black eyed person will then rip the person's soul from their body and take over their host. I am obviously very pale and my eyes are totally black so I fit the description perfectly. Most people believe that I am a bad omen like the legend says and they do not want near me, fearing the worst."

"I don't think you will try to steal my soul" He laughed "Fuck, even if you did I am sure you would give it right back"

"Then why did you stop?" She asked, sounding confused.

"Oh" He said quietly, trying to find the appropriate words. "I just….wanted to make sure …..that you know…wanted"

Fuck I'm screwing this up, he thought

"Plus I don't wanna hurt ya" He finally admitted " Im….."

He was interrupted by Zelenia…laughing?

"Your funny" She giggled "I'm pretty durable, one of the few benefits of my curse. Plus even if you did remember I have fast healing. But it's kinda sweet you are worried."

She then climbed back into his lap and gave him a passionate kiss. She ran her hands gently up his arms, feeling every muscle. Her arms then slowly snaked around his neck and she used the leverage to pull herself closer to him, pressing every bit of her against him. He felt his blood start to run hot once again. She pulled out of the kiss and motioned her head to the make shift bedroom.

"So are we doing this or not?" She said slow and seductively.

He felt his breath seize in his chest. Is the really happening? To him she was perfect and she actually wanted him. Like an idiot he seemed to be stuck in stupor and all he could do was shake his head yes. He then watched as she rolled off of him and stood up off the couch. He watched as she went over to the large window and closed his make shift curtains. She then told him to go ahead and head to the "bedroom" and she would be there in a second. Of course he did what she told him to do as she went around the room and started to blow out the candles he had lit when they go there. He figured she would leave a few lit so there was at least some light but to his surprise she made the room completely dark. Luckily he was already on the bed because he could not see anything. The room was completely blacked out.

"Not the light on type of gal are ya" He asked as he heard her walk over. He had forgotten that she could see in complete darkness so for her it was just like having the lights on. He wondered if it was a control thing.

"It's a bit more complicated than that" She said as he felt her weight on the bed "But now is not the time for talk." She whispered in his ear making him shutter. "But if you're not up to the task…."

He knew she was baiting him, he liked it. Before she could finish her statement he grabbed her and pushed her roughly onto the bed. He smiled when he heard the small moan that came from her. He kissed her passionately as he started to fondle her breasts through her shirt. He quickly became unsatisfied with this and quickly removed the garments standing in his way. When he finally removed the last piece of clothing he felt her tense, he could feel she was nervous but she would never admit it.

He paused briefly to remove the rest of his gear and his mask. Him and his brothers usually walked around not wearing anything but their gear so this was the closest thing that he could get to naked, and he felt it. Now that they were both completely naked he went back to worshiping her body. He slowly positioned himself above her, making sure not to crush her under his massive body.

His mouth quickly found one of her breasts while his hand found the other. Her breast filled his hand perfectly and they were softer than he had expected. His mouth got to work by giving small licks but they quickly turned into small nips to her sensitive flesh. Meanwhile his hand went to work on the other breast, twisting and pinching her nipple until it became hard. Her breathing changed and he could now smell her arousal. Leaving her breast, he started sliding his hand down her hips, over her thighs, and finally settling between her legs.

Using his finger, he spreads the folds of her womanhood, finding her entrance. Knowing his fingers are larger than the average humans he slowly enters her. She is already dipping wet and hot. As he continues to move his finger inside he hears a noise that can only be described as a combination of a whine and a moan. She unconsciously opened her legs wider for him, surrendering completely. He can feel her tightening around his finger and he know she is close. Taking another finger, he rubs her clit in a circular motion, slowly picking up the pace. Her breathing intensifies and he can feel her back arch and her legs tremble.

She screamed his name as she reaches her climax.

The smell of her arousal and pheromones hit him like one of Casey's bats to the head. Raph knew that he could not wait any longer, his mind started to go blank. He wanted to spend more time teasing and playing with her but he could not wait any longer. He can feel her sit up and start to move towards him. Raph knew what she wanted to do but he wanted tonight to be about her. Raph knew he couldn't hold back at this pace any longer. He knew what he wanted. Putting his hands on her shoulder he once again pushed her back against the bed.

"But I want to touch…" She moans as she hit the pillow.

"Later" was all he could growl out he positioned himself between her legs. Lowering himself down on his elbows he positioned tip of his hardness probed at her entrance, begging to be let in.

"Tell me you want this" He growled, he had to make sure this is what she wanted.

"I want you Raphael" She moaned as she pulled him down his shoulders to kiss her. He still couldn't believe this was happening, any moment he would wake from his dream, alone.

Without further hesitation he slowly entered her, giving her time to adjust before going deeper. He knew he was bigger than the average human and didn't want to go to fast and hurt her. When she tightened her legs around him and moved her hips against him he knew she was ready. He pushed a little deeper into her tight, wet cavern. Damn she was tight! The feeling was one he had never experience before, pure ecstasy. He then began moving his hips in a slow thrusting motion.

"Faster!" he heard her panting. He gave her what she wanted and started pounding into her at an animalistic pace. Her loud moans were sweet music to his ears and he had to fight the urge to finish. Her hands found their way to his shoulders for support. It wasn't long before he felt her nails digging deeper and deeper into his shoulders. He had to clench his teeth to keep himself from coming too quickly. He wanted her to find her release first so he put all his weight on one arm and slid the other between them. He found that sweet spot above her entrance and began teasing. Raph hears her yell his name as he feels her tighten around him and she finally tips over the edge. Unable to hold back any longer he thrusts into her a few more times before he releases his seed insider her.

"That was amazing, and long over due" She says between pants.

Raph pushes himself to the side and falls on the bed next to her so he doesn't crush her. The fog in his brain finally clears and he is finally able to think again. He couldn't believe what just happened. She was so beautiful and perfect in his eyes and she choose him. Him.

"You alive over there" She laughed

"Oh yeah, I feel more alive right now than I have in a while" Raph replied. He rolled on his side and snaked his arm around her waist. He then pulled her close to him leaving no space between them. It was still pitch black, he wished he could see her now. He wondered why she insisted on the dark but he wasn't going to push it. He felt her hand settle on his shoulder and slowly make its way down his arm and back up. She then grabbed the back of his head and brought him into a kiss.

"You gonna let me play with you this round?" She whispered seductively in his ear. It took him a moment to realize what she meant. He felt his heart starting to pound against his chest.

"Yeah, I guess I can allow ya" He smirked.

"Well then it's a good thing we have all night"

Yes. Yes it is. That was the last rational thought Raph that night.


	16. The Hunter and the Prey

Chapter 16

 **2 months later**

Zelenia struggled to catch her breath as she ran full speed across the roof tops.

Got to keep up.

Can't lose "It" again. So close.

Won't get away from her again. She can sense "its" energy close enough to touch.

Then gone, gone again.

 **MOTHER FUCKER!**

Zelenia panted frantically trying to satisfy her lungs need for oxygen. She had not ran that fast or long in a while. She was so close but the energy signature once again disappeared right as she was about to catch it. For three months now something had been following her, toying with her. It was slowly driving her crazy, maybe that was its purpose. At first it was just here and there but for the last month it was a constant presence. She thought of nothing else lately, except when she was with Raph.

It had been a little over two months since her and Raph had started their physical relationship. She did not know what else to call it at this point. They never gave it a name or had any expectations. They just enjoyed their time together. She like it this way for now. It was a good thing they never talked about their feelings, those conversations were uncomfortable. Hell, she didn't even know what her feelings were. Yeah he was a a great lover, easy to talk to, made her feel safe. Everything she wanted, but who needs the distraction…right? Relationships were so overrated and ….pointless…painful.

She finally got her breathing back to normal but not her anger. She always had a temper but she knew how to control it now. Her father worked with her for years. But some reason "it" fueled her rage so much she couldn't ground herself. She stomped around the roof she was on, kicking over trash cans and other objects that got in her way. Not even worrying about how much noise she makes. Maybe "it" would finally show itself. In her rage she barely heard someone approach her. She spun around ready for a fight only to find Raph. Why did he have to show up now? Fuck.

"Shit baby, what the trash can say to piss you off?" He laughed, carefully stepping around the trash that was now scattered everywhere.

"NOT NOW!" she screamed, pacing back and forth. It pissed her off that he was here, seeing her like this. God why couldn't he just go away!

"Whats got up your ass pissy pants" He spat at her.

"Go….away….please" She emasised every word. She wanted him here but also wanted him gone at the same time. See love is complicated.

"Make me" He replied. Why couldn't he just leave her alone, let her cool off. She watched him as he made his way closer to her. She didn't know what he was trying to do but it was a bad idea.

"Fine." She growled as she took her battle stance. He wanted to fight, he got one. They circled each other, neither one wanting to make the first move. She rarely ever made the first move in a fight but she didn't care right now. Blinded by rage she rushed him throwing the first punch, hoping he would realize that she was serious about wanted to be alone. After a minute of throwing various punches and kicks, all of which he blocked, she felt herself coming out of the fog. She now noticed that he had not once countered her attacks, just blocked them. She back off and moved away from him.

They stared at each other in silence.

"Ya calm now?" He finally asked.

That's when she realized what he was doing. He was allowing her to take her anger out on him so she could calm down. It was romantic in a way, a way only they as fighters could understand. It was moments like this when she realized they had a lot more in common.

"Yes." She replied simply, not trusting herself to say more. She was filled with a variety of emotions. Rage about losing "it" again and longing for Raph.

"Now what the fuck is ya problem?"

"I lost "it"

"Wha the fuck?" He said in a questioning tone. She had not told him about what she has been chasing for the last two months. She didn't want him to think she was crazy or worrying over her. She mentioned to him once that she thought they were being followed so they could avoid "it" and make the lair undetected but that was the extent.

"Something is following me, has been for two months" She finally responded.

"WHAT! You didn't tell me!" He sounded pissed, he had the right to be.

"Its personal, you wouldn't understand." She didn't know how to explain "it" to him.

"Well make me understand cuz I aint goin away!" He replied, she believed him too. She knew he was just as stubborn as her and he would not leave this alone. Also the guilt of keeping this secret from him was getting to her. Why was this bothering her so much, not like he was her husband or something?

"You know I can sense peoples energies or Ki right?

"Yeah"

"Ki means living energy, and the signature of a person ki is specific to that person. Everyone and everything is different."

"ok, get to the point" he rushed.

"Someone or something has been following me for the last three months. I can only get small feelings here and there on its energy. It is also changing its energy signature to fuck with me." She was hoping he understood. "Every time I get to close, it changes or hides its signal from me. Its toying with me Raph, driving me mad!"

"Ok someone is following you, Ill take care of it" His tone turning serious. Of course he thought he could "protect" her. That was one of the qualities she loved about him.

"No your not getting it fully" She was starting to get frustrate again, she knew it was not his fault thought.

"NO I DON'T" He was getting frustrated again. "I feel like Im missin something!"

"Not many people know about my abliites to read energy. Just a few high ranking ninja in the clan back home and you guys. Even out of you guys only you and April know the extend I can use them. This thing is changing its energy to fuck with ME! ME RAPH!"

She took a moment to calm herself again.

"IT KNOWS ME!" She yelled, not meaning too. "This thing following me knows me and my powers. It knows, and it's using my powers against me. It's not just some everyday enemy, Raph. Someone is tracking me specifically."

She saw the look of shock in his eyes, finally what she was trying to say sunk in. This was more serious than just being followed. Someone from Japan was here and they wanted her. Wanted to bait her, make her fuck up.

"I can't even tell if its human or not! How fucked up is that? It keeps changing on me and I can feel it watching me but I can't catch it! I'm supposed to be the hunter; I was trained to track people not to be the prey! Its embarrassing!" She cried letting out all her frustration again. Him and April are the only people on the planet that she trusted to see and hear her like this. April was now her best friend and Raph was well her best friend…with benefits. She dare call him anything more than that at this point.

"It's ok babe." He walked over to her and wrapped his huge arms around her and pulled her against his plastron. Zelenia buried her face into his hard chest and wondered why she was being all emotional. Usually she was stone faced when something bothered her. Emotions showed weakness. Weakness she could not afford.

"No its not. Its driving me mad, which is what it wants. Someone is after me, I'm used to that. Fuck I have spent the last four years defending myself from people who hunt me. But now I'm worried about you…and the others." She pulled away from him and walked over to the air conditioning unit on the roof, hopped up and took a seat.

"Tonight I was so close, and it knew it. I have been trying to get it to make a mistake, just one is all it will take for me to get it." She continued. "But whatever or whoever it is highly trained. It takes years to learn how to manipulate a person energy. And to be able to change its signature and shut if off is advanced. This isn't some everyday enemy, Raph"

"Maybe we should tell the others" he suggested

"Tell them what exactly, I'm being followed by something and I don't even know what it is? They would think I'm crazy, shit I already thing I am at this point. No, I just need some more time. I need to figure out what is going on"

"Ok but if this gets outta hand we need to deal with it together" He said. "You're not alone ya know"

He walked over the her and placed his hand on either side of her and leaned closer to her. The unit sat pretty high off the ground so she was now high enough to look him in the eyes. It was a strange feeling; she was used to him towering over her. Normally when he was around her she felt comfortable and safe but tonight she just wanted to be alone. He had _that_ look in his eyes and she knew his intentions. Normally him just looking at her that way was enough to get her body hot, but not tonight, she was exhausted both physically and mentally. All she could thing about was the events that occurred tonight and that was not fair to him.

"Look we better get back to the lair" she said quietly, adverting her eyes from him. "I'm tired and Master Splinter said he has something he wants me to do tomorrow night"

"Oh, I see" He leaned closer resting his forehead against hers. "what's his plans"

"He didn't tell me, but if I know him it will be something difficult." She smiled as she looked into his eyes. She didn't want him to think that her rejection of his advances had anything to do with him. And it was true what she said about Master Splinter. Before she left the lair this evening he had informed her that tomorrow she would have a difficult task assigned to her. He did not say any more than that and she did not push.

He pulled away from her and held out his hand for her to grab. He then helped her down to the ground. She did not need the assistance but she knew he like doing things like this. When she was on the ground he continued to hold her hand. It was affectionate gestures like this that made her mildly uncomfortable. Not that she didn't like Raph. She did, probably more than she should, and that was the problem. She was still not sure where they stood in terms of what they were doing. She did not want to get to close. Every man she had gotten close to in the past had betrayed her in some way or another. She didn't want to deal with all that again, especially after the last time. She didn't want to pull her hand from his because she did not want him to think the worst.

Right now their "relationship" was purely physical. They never talked about the future or put a name to what they were doing. This made it a safe arrangement for her. Nothing was expected of either of them and that was how she would like it to stay, at least for now. She still could not figure out why she was attracted to him in the first place. Not that he wasn't cute, she though he was pretty handsome in his own way. But she usually never sought physical relationships with men, but with him she pursued him. This is what was confusing her. Why him? Why now?

"A shower wouldn't be a bad idea as well" he winked at her.

"Hey fuck off, I just ran halfway across New York dickface" She smiled.

"I could help ya" He said huskily, once again pulling her against his chest.

 _God this man is insatiable_ , she thought to herself.

"Then your brothers would definitely know what was going on" She said as she playfully pushed him off of her.

They thought it best when they first started sleeping together to not let anyone know. They only one who knew was April and that was because her and Zelenia talked about almost everything. Almost. She had yet to tell anyone about her past. She hoped to keep it that way, otherwise they would not want her around. The only one who knew about her secrets was Master Splinter. She had told him everything just as her father instructed before he died. It was hard but she did it anyway. He knew everything and still accepted her. She was sure the others would not.

"They are bound to find out anyway" He smiled at her. "What would be so bad about it?"

Her heart stopped. If he was wanted his family to know about them that means he is wanted to get more serious. No, that can't happen right now. He didn't know what he was getting in to. She has hidden so much from him. If he knew certain things about her he would not feel this way. She couldn't trap him like that.

"I'm not ready yet" She said quietly. Which was part of the truth. She searched his face and saw only acceptance. This was good, he accepted her answer and hopefully that was enough for now.

"Come on, the sun will be up soon and we both need to get home. Mother hen will be looking for you" she joked. "mother hen" is was her name for Leonardo. Every time Raph and her were out to late or didn't let him know where they were going he would constantly call or text Raph. Sometimes it was quite the mood killer.

"Shut up." He hissed. His relationship with Leo was a sore spot.

"Ok pissy pants let's get going" She laughed as she sprinted across roof tops to the nearest manhole. She heard Raph growl behind her. He hated being called pissy pants just as much as Raphie. She had almost forgotten the events of this evening. Now she only had one thing on her mind.

What did Master Splinter have planned for her tomorrow?


	17. Conflict

**Sorry for the late update everyone! I should be updating more regularly now! Please comment if you enjoy this story even a little. It gives me the motivation to keep writing!**

Leo sat at the kitchen counter sipping his tea, waiting. Waiting for his brother Raph to return from running around New York with her. A little over a month ago Leo had discovered what they were really doing when they would go "out on patrol" together. He finally decided on night to follow them to confirm his suspensions. They would always return together, at the same time, and he could smell their pheromones. At first he thought it was nothing but it happened almost every night since. They would try to hide it by taking showers as soon as they entered the lair but he was not one to be fooled easily. He followed them one night, making sure to stay far behind so Zelenia wouldn't sense him.

At first they were stopping crime as they claimed. But when the neighborhood they had been patrolling was quiet that's when he saw them. Raph grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. They continued to make out and grope each other until Zelenia stopped and said that they needed to go "to their place" so they would not be seen. Then before he could blink they disappeared into a cloud of smoke. But he knew what they intended to do once they got to "their place". He was furious, how could his brother not tell him something like this. Weren't they supposed to tell each other everything?

He had decided to not say anything about what he saw. He assumed that soon enough one of them would tire of the other and they would no longer be involved with each other. Hell, they were both hot heads. Zelenia was able to calm herself quicker than him but she was still quick to anger. He thought they would have pissed each other off by now. He was dead wrong, they seemed to grow closer and closer as time passed and he could see the way his brother looked at her. He saw that look only once, when he looked at Mona. He was also acting different, he was more calm and he also did not drink himself to death every night. While he enjoyed this aspect he was still not happy about what was going on. This is why he choose tonight to confront Raph alone when he returned home. This had to stop!

Did they truly know her? She just appeared one night out of nowhere and saved one of them. Was it really a coincidence or something else? Was it a set up to get to the lair? These questions haunted him every day. It would not be the first time they were betrayed. Then there was the fact she always did her patrols by herself, or with Raph, but never the rest of the team. Why didn't she want to be around them? Was she afraid they would find out more about her? He knew nothing about her, hell was she even from the Hamato clan in Japan? All the proof they had was that tattoo on her upper chest, but that didn't prove anything. He was the leader of his team and one of his responsibilities was protecting them. He could sense she was hiding something and he intended to find out. Step one: getting his brother out of her grasp…and out of harms way.

The sounds of Raph and her entering the lair snapped him out of his thoughts and back to the situation at hand. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, Raph said goodnight and she quickly rushed off to the showers. Perfect, she would be in there long enough for him to talk to his brother. Now Leo hoped that he would see reason and stop this silly fling.

"About time you two returned." Leo stated coldly. "what where you guys up too?"

"What's it to ya?" Raph snapped back. Her scent wasn't as strong on him as it usually was but it was still there.

"I know what you two have been doing." Leo said wanting to get to the point quick before she returned.

"Wha ya mean by that?" Raph said trying to keep his cool. Leo slammed his cup of tea on the table almost causing the cup to break.

"Oh come on brother, your sense of smell is just as good as mine. I can smell your pheromones when you return. Shower or not I can smell you on her!" He said trying not to yell too loud. He decided to leave out the part about him following him that one night.

"Well good for you Sherlock, but its none of your business. And before you say it is like you always do, this isn't a mission. This is my personal life and you can't control me! Even Splinter told you to lay off me a years ago. You can't control every aspect of my life!" He snarled at Leo. Just as Leo thought, he was going to become irrational as always.

"It is when it comes to the safety of this family!"

"What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"We don't really know her, she has only been here for a few months. She just appears out of know where with a tattoo and we just assume she is who she says she is. For all we know she works for the Foot." Leo got up then walked over to Raph. To his surprise Raph started to chuckle.

"That's rich brother, you really need a hobby…..or get laid." Raph then turned to walk away to Leo's surprise. Normally he would have exploded by now, what the hell was going on with him. Leo grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving, he wasn't done yet.

"Seriously, she is a kunoichi. Their main weapon is deception. And she is playing you…."

"OH! I see what's going on now. She's not Karai Leo!" Raph interrupted.

"This isn't about her!" Leo snapped

"Yes it is! Your still butt hurt she left to go back to Japan after she got what she wanted from you! Zelenia is not like that and you would know if you actually tried to talk to her instead of avoiding her!"

"Even if she is who she says she is; she is still putting our family in danger!" Leo shot back.

"HOW?" Raph boomed

"She doesn't _understand_ how we live Raph! She doesn't _understand_ the risks you two put us in when you are running around town together. We have lived our entire lives hiding from the outside world. Something she doesn't understand. She doesn't _understand_ what could happen if someone found us. What if someone …" He yelled before he was once again interrupted.

" _How dare you…"_ snarled a voice. The sound sent a shiver down Leo's spine, it was something out of horror movie. He turned to see Zelenia glaring at him. Her hands were in tight fists and he could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed heavily. If looks could kill he'd be six feet under. He looked over to see that Raph had backed off and looked concerned.

"How dare you say I don't understand" She pointed at him, her voice shaking with rage. "I understand better than you will ever know, you bastard. I know the risks better than you, I know the cost better than you could ever know!" She started walking closer to him. He saw that her face was red and she was shaking all over. He had never seen anyone this mad before, Raph's anger paled in comparison.

"I have held people I care about, people I love in my arms as they died. I watched our bases burn to the ground, with some of our clan still inside, after the Foot discovered them. I have buried my teammates and…family…." Her voice was starting to break and he could see her eyes where starting to shine with tears. "You have never had too…bury your brothers…..HOW DARE YOU!"

Leo started to back up, was he going to have to fight her? She looked like she wanted to kill him. How could something he said get her so upset. The person who hardly showed emotion was reacting this way. He watched as Raph tried to put an arm around her only for her to grab it and flip him over. He landed on his shell with a loud thud, all the while she never took her eyes off him. That's when he realized he how strong she was. This was a problem, considering she was coming for him. Her eyes….her eyes scared him. Before he knew it she was right in front of him. She grabbed the leather strap that ran acrossed his plastron the pushed him up against the wall forcefully. She then leaned her face close to his.

"I wished I lived your life. The things I have seen and been through would give you nightmares." She snarled barely louder than a whisper. "Trust me, don't trust me. I don't care. But NEVER say I don't understand this life we live." She then gave him one last shove against the wall and let him go. His heart pounded against his chest and he felt like he could hardly breath.

"Also don't ever imply I don't care about your brother…..or your family." She said as she disappeared out of the lair with a flash. Leo tried to wrap his head around what just happened. Her eyes, her voice and her aura had….scared him, this was the first time in a long while. He now knew why his brothers always joked about her being one person you never want to piss off. He honestly thought she wanted to kill him, maybe she did. Something caught his attention, it was Raph getting off the ground and rolling his shoulder to loosen the muscles. She had flipped him like he was a ragdoll without thinking twice, she never even took her eyes off him as she did it. It was almost like it was an automatic reaction.

"Now ya done it, Fearless leader." Raph said as his shoulder cracked as it went back into place. Leo was shocked, he didn't even seem bothered by what she did to him, he was still mad at him. "ya really pissed her off, I aint never seen her that mad before. And for her that's sayin somethin"

What the heck is all the racket about, I'm trying to work in my lab." Donnie stated as he walked in. "What happened to you two?"

"Leo pissed off Z." Raph replied "Like really pissed her off."

"Raphael, language." Splinter said appearing out of the dojo. "Leonardo, go to the dojo. Ill be along in a moment."

Leo did not say a word as he walked to the dojo. He waited for what seemed like forever for his sensei to join him. He bowed to Splinter before they both took a seat on the mats facing each other. Leo was nervous and was trying to figure out what to say.

"My son do you mind telling me what happened this evening" Splinter said softly.

"Well, when Raph came home I…."

Splinter raised his hand, signaling him to stop talking.

"I know what happened a little while ago my son, I may be getting older but I can still hear?" Splinter said. "I mean why?"

"Oh" Leo said quietly. " Well you see, we don't really know much about her. Raph and her have been "hanging" out and….."

Splinter signaled him to stop with his explanation.

"Correction my son, you do not know her very well. Everyone else in the family has gotten to know Zelenia except you. You have been avoiding her since she arrived her."

Leo thought about Splinter's words. It was true that he really didn't talk to her but was he really avoiding her on purpose? And had his brothers get to know her without him realizing it?

"I just….feel like she is hiding something" Leo finally responded.

"What has given you that assumption my son?"

Leo remained silent for a moment. He couldn't explain why he felt that way, he just did. Maybe it was because he didn't know her. He couldn't use that explanation again.

"Its just a feeling I have. You have always told me to trust my intuitions. she never joins us on patrols, she doesn't not train with us, she is always off doing her own thing and occasionally drags Raph along, and speaking of Raph they have been…uhhh….. spending a lot of alone time together. And that in itself gives me an uneasy feeling."

He did not want to tell his father about what his brother was really doing when they were out together. He didn't know why he felt like he should cover his brother.

"I know what they have been doing my son." The old rat smiled.

"W…wh…at? You know, why haven't you done anything?"

"My son, your four are adults now. When it comes to matters of the heart I believe you can now make your own choices." He said assertively.

"But I feel like she is still hiding something, father."

"Do you have secrets that you have not told her?"

"Well….yeah I mean…." Leo said confused

" All because someone has secrets does not mean they are a danger. She has allowed me into her mind and has shared her past with me. She has her secrets with good reason but none are threating to our family."

"She has shared everything with you? She seems so secretive, even with Raph and April, the people she is the closest too here"

"She did so to honor her father's final request, even though it was hard for her. She is not here to train physically, she is here to train to find her center and calm her mind. Her father wanted me to know everything so I can help her through meditation. She has trained intensively and is a great kunoichi but her mind is her greatest trouble."

"I see." Was all Leo could say. Maybe he was judging her prematurely. Could it be that he was judging her based on his past experiences with a kunoichi? They were known for their skill in deception. From what Master Splinter was saying he was the only one who had a problem with her.

"My son, what I am going to tell you next is not to leave this room." Splinter said in a serious tone. "is that understood?"

"Yes, sensei."

"I was hoping that you two would have gotten along better by now. You see she used to lead a team of her own back in Japan. She is one of the only ones here that knows and understands you feel about being a leader. She knows your responsibilities and struggles. Even the troubles you carry still. I hoped that she would be a resource for you, or at least someone to talk to about those worries."

"Sssshe had a team of her own?" Leo said shocked. How could someone who was such a hothead sometimes have lead a team at all. Wait, lead? Why was she not leading them now? Where are they?

"Yes, my son. I know you have questions; I can tell. I cannot say anymore because this was revealed to me in confidence. If you want the full story you must ask her yourself. Which brings me to your next mission."

"My mission?" Leo questioned

"Yes, tomorrow I had planned to have you join Zelenia on her patrol. I told her that she also had a special task tomorrow but did not tell her it was to take you along with her. Your three brothers and April will cover the normal patrols. You will follow Zelenia and hopefully have your doubts put to rest."

Splinter paused a moment to allow his words to sink in before continuing.

"But Master, after tonight I don't think she wants to be near me." Leo said quietly. He knew this was going to be a challenge.

"I am aware, but we cannot have this hostility and distrust in this family, this clan. First you will talk to your brothers and get their options about her. Maybe listening to those you trust most will help you ease your mind as well. I will talk to Zelenia when she returns and inform her of my decision about you joining her tomorrow."

"I don't think she is going to go for it." He said bluntly. " You didn't see the way she looked at me when she had me up against the wall."

"No, but I could sense it. She will honor any request I make of her. Her father and her other sensei were quite strict on her in training, more so than I was with you and your brothers. She will not disobey an order from a superior. At least that is true up to this evening. Now I need to meditate after tonight's events. Your brothers will be expecting you. Good night my son."

Splinter then stood up and walked to his room leaving Leo with his thoughts. He was mildly worried about tomorrow night. He had never seen anyone as upset as he made Zelenia tonight. The look of pure rage and pain on her face still haunted his thoughts. He was starting to feel guilty about what he said that caused her pain. But he knew what his father said was true. They could not truly be a unit until all the hostility and distrust was gone. Plus, this would give him the opportunity to ask her some questions, something he had been dying to do for sometimes now. But first he needed some sleep. He decided he would talk to his brothers in the morning. That would give him enough time before going on patrol with her. He didn't think that his brothers could change his mind but he would give it a try .


	18. Oh, Great

**If you're wondering what season/month it is now in this story its about mid October. This will become important in future chapters. This is a filler chapter that will lead into more serious things in the next few chapters. It's short and most likely not the best but here it goes! Please leave comments!**

Leo shivered as the cool fall wind hit his skin. But honestly he could not tell if the shiver was from the cold air or the cold look the women who stood across from him was giving. He could feel her pitch black eyes pierce his soul and it made him uncomfortable. They stood there facing each other, her silver hair slightly moving with the breeze. This reminded him of the western shows he would see on tv, good old fashion western standoff. Neither one dared speak….. or move. After talking with his brothers he could see now why she was so upset….

His brothers painted a completely different picture about this seemingly emotionless, uncaring woman that he thought she was. He woke up that next morning after and decided to start with Donnie. He didn't expect to learn much about her and did not know why Splinter insisted that he talk to his family about some women. But after hearing about all the help she was lending around the lab he began to open his mind a little. Donnie explained that she helps him quite often by going to dumps and dumpster diving for spare electronics and supplies. She would also bring him things he told her to watch out for on her patrols. Donnie explained that she was also interested in learning about science. She never received a real education and science was something that she had no clue about. He was slowly teaching her what he knew when they had the chance.

He then moved on to his younger brother, Mikey. He couldn't imagine any way they would get along. She was always serious and he was well….Mikey. But once again he was proven wrong. Mikey though she was an awesome person as well, though apparently she sucked at video games. He skipped Raph, he already knew what he thought of her. Plus, he was trying to avoid him as well, it didn't take a genius to know that he was angry with Leo. So now at the request of his father, he was going to join her tonight…..if he didn't get hurt first.

But this did not completely change his opinion of her. She was hiding something and he wanted to know what it was. His instincts were sharper than his brothers and they have never failed him before. Plus there was the complicated situation with his brother. He could not stand the thought of his brother getting hurt again, betrayed again. It destroyed him when Mona betrayed them while they were in space but he forgave her just for her to do the same thing again. So what did she want from him? There had to be something, right? Pretty women did not just randomly jump into bed with mutant turtles. Did he find her attractive?

He watched as she slowly pulled two black gloves out of her back pocket and put them on. They were thick black leather with small metal plates on the knuckles. He knew what those were for, to inflict maximum damage from a hit. Just like her blades she carried, he never seen her take them out before. She was an interesting kunoichi, she never used her weapons, yet carried them everywhere. She tightened her hands into fists and took a defensive stance. Leo realized she had every intention to fight him if need be.

"You have been giving me hateful looks for over a month now, if you have a problem with me lets settle this now." She snarled. "I have held my tongue and my fists because of your family, but now we are alone."

Great, Leo thought to himself. Just great.

The kunoichi began circling him, sizing him up. She was serious, wasn't she?

"I don't want to fight you, but I will if need be." He said in a stern voice. It was true he didn't want to fight her at all. Just wanted her to…to well leave.

"Then what's your deal!" She snapped back. "What have I done to you to make you be a dick to me!"

"I don't trust you" Leo replied.

"Why?"

"You're a ninja that randomly showed up one night with some kind of super powers and I feel that your hiding something, something isn't right here."

"Super powers? Your hilarious. I am no more powerful than you are. Yes I'm stronger than a normal human but I'm not superman. My healing is slightly faster than yours, but doesn't work during the day. Other than that I'm nothing special." She replied.

"What about the eyes, the senses, and disappearing into a flash of light. That's not exactly normal."

"Coming from a 6 and a half foot talking turtle…. Cuz that's normal. The ritual only strengthened my current abilities. I could always sense and see aura just not as good as I can now. As for the flashing around, well I can only go to places I can see. I can't just teleport anywhere I want. I'm just as mortal as the next person."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. There is something you're not telling us and I know it. What do you want with my brother?" Leo accused

"What do you mean? I don't want anything from him, never have. And for your information he came on to me first, HE kissed me first, I did not pursue him. What we have is not romantic, more of a FWB situation and its none of your concern anyway."

Silence fell between the two ninjas. Leo wanted to push further but he knew he would piss her off or make her leave. He wanted to follow her around tonight. He needed to see what this woman could do, what she was capable of, just in case. One of the important rules of combat is to know your opponent's weakness and this was how he was going to find it. Plus, another information he could collect about her would be useful anyway. He had to find out more about her.

"whatever, doesn't matter to me. Let's just get this night over with." Leo said flatly.

"Fine, better keep up because I'm not waiting for you" And with that she began racing along the roof tops and alleyways. He quickly found out that she was extremely fast and agile. He had trouble keeping up with her, he was sure she was trying to lose him on purpose. He would play her little game, for now.

They ended up in a shady part of town across from some run down apartments. He watched as she pulled out a little black leather notebook. She turned the pages and ran her finger down the paper. After a second of thought she made her way up to the roof of the apartments and slipped down the fire escape to a small window. She tapped on the window five times but stayed out of sight of whoever might answer. Leo watched as an envelope was slopped quickly through the window and into her hand. This seemed shady to him. Was this something he should be worried about?

She then quickly made her way back to the roof top where he stood. She quickly opened the envelop, pulled out her little notebook again and wrote something down. She then lit the envelope and letter on fire and watched it burn. Damn, he didn't get to see the contents of the letter.

"What the hell was that?" Leo accused. "Hiding something?"

"Not from you asshat. From the Foot" She snapped back. This got Leos attention. What was she wanting to hide from the Foot.

"Could you elaborate…..please" He said nicely as he could. He quickly realized that any attitude he would give her she would send back tenfold. Catch more flies with honey, was the saying that came to mind.

"Tonight is the night I make my rounds. I go to all the safe houses and check up on the children I have sent there. They will inform me of the ones who have made it home, still at the safe house, given to police for questioning and protection or…if any disappeared again." She explained. "Saving them isn't enough for me, I have to follow it to the end."

"oh, I see." Was all Leo could say. His plan was back firing, instead of finding something incriminating he was finding out that she was different then he thought. He could feel the guilt he had early return again and settle in the back of his mind.

They continued this pattern for hours. They would head to random parts of town and gather information. Sometimes the paper was handed out the window and some areas the info was hidden in hard to find places. He quickly realized that she never let anyone see her, she wanted no human contact during any of these transactions. Just grab information, mark it down, and move to the next safe house. For her this was a weekly process, and it took time and patencie. Something he didn't think she had. But one question still ate at him. Why didn't she patrol with them or train with them? He had to know.

They finally made it to the last safe house on her list for tonight. The amount of women and children that she was responsible for keeping track of amazed him. He watched her as she finished up her writing in her book. He realized hours ago that it as a check list of locations and names. All in a special code of course in case someone got their hands on it.

"What do you want?" She asked

"Wwhat?" He stuttered

"I can sense you have something you want to say. You have had no problem opening your big fucking mouth before, what's stopping you now?" She asked

"Why don't you join us on patrol? Or hell in training? Your always by yourself. Its suspicious."

"Wow, is everything I do a crime to you? Look things are different back in Japan. Teams are kept to a strict maximum of three or four. This is optimal for missions to be completed quickly and accurately. You have three brothers and occasional April and Casey joining you. That's too many, especially if I join. Its just not done. Besides I have been assigned on solo missions for almost four years now by my superior in Japan." She snapped at him.

"Besides, its better to be alone." She said after a short silence.

"Why do you say that?" Leo asked

"Because nothing….no one can hurt you." She said quietly

Leo did not respond; he didn't know how too. Her words ran over and over in the back of her mind. Could this have something to do with her past as a leader? Instead of getting the answers he hoped for tonight he only had more questions. This whole situation was becoming more of a headache than he expected.

"Look, I know you don't like me. I don't really care, just stay out of my way. We got our little team building crap out of the way and it didn't do shit. Let's just go on our way and say it did. Just stay out of my business"

And with that she disappeared into the darkness and left him speechless on the rooftop.


	19. A New Teacher

**1 month later**

"How did your night go?" Zelenia laugh at him as he walked into the kitchen. He was covered in dirt and partially bruised. Raph loved her sense of humor sometimes but tonight he was not in the mood.

"Back off." He growled.

Tonight was supposed to be simple. Sneak into the Purple Dragon's new headquarters, gather some information, get out without being seen. But no, one of them managed to trip an alarm. He was betting on Mikey. They were ninjas, they were supposed to be masters of stealth. They were good at it but not great. Something always happened and they would either be running or fighting their way out. Tonight the latter happened. God, it pissed him off!

"Someone's testy this evening" She smirked.

"Look its been a shitty night, I'm not in the mood for jokes." He warned. He watched as she looked around, like she was checking to see if anyone was around. She then walked over to him and put her hand on his plastron and leaned in close.

"Well…what are you in the mood for." She whispered seductively.

"Uuuh wwhat?" Raph stuttered, not entirely sure he heard her right. Usally his attitude was enough to scare any one away till he calmed down, but then again she wasn't just anyone.

"Oh come on, you know I like it when your all riled" She whispered against his neck. "Come on we can sneak away for a few minutes before anyone notices."

She slipped her hand under the leather strap across his chest and gently pulled him toward the lair entrance. Like a little lost puppy, he let her lead the way, to where he didn't know but he didn't care.

God, this woman is going to be the death of me, Raph smiled to himself.

It wasn't long before they entered a small abandoned utility room a couple tunnels down from the lair. She let go of his strap and shut the door. Before he knew what was going on she had pushed him against the wall and fell to her knees. Raphs heart started to pound in his chest and his breathing got heavier. He knew what she was going to do, he could already feel the pressure building in his groin. With a few strokes of her hand she caused him to drop down.

He shuttered as he felt her warm soft mouth on the head of his dick. She then slowly took what she could of him in her mouth, and what she couldn't fit her hands stroked. It wasn't long before he had the earge to grab her hair in his hand so he could make her go faster. When the first started out together he was always worried he would be to rough, but he quickly learned she like it that way. Just like him.

He felt the pressure build at the base of his groin and he knew it wasn't going to be long before she finished him. She must have sensed this too because she picked up the pace and moved with him. He let out a deep moan as he climaxed and shot his load into the back of her throat. It took a minute for Raph to regain his senses and for his mind to clear. When he did he noticed that she was no longer on her knees, but standing up near the door fixing her hair. He knew she was about to start heading back to the lair but he didn't want this to end quite yet. He walked up behind her and pulled her close to him.

"We have to get back, they will notice we are gone now." She giggled. "Besides Splinter wants to meet with us in a few hours and I don't want to smell like your jizz when we walk in."

He growled with frustration. He had been more than satisfied but it wasn't enough.

"Come now my handsome hot-head." She smiled as she pulled him back to the lair, this time by his hand at least. He would never understand her, anyone else would not take well to his temper. But her on the other hand didn't judge or get upset. She always understood and always tried to help instead of getting mad. His anger wasn't the only thing she had tamed in the last 3 and a half months. He no longer felt the need to drink as much. He still did of course but he didn't NEED too anymore. He tried to hide his problem from her at first but she was a smart women and quickly found out. He swore she would not want to continue "hanging" out with him but once again she proved him wrong. She didn't judge or even tell him it was wrong. She was just…..there for him and that made all the difference. She helped him more than anyone without even realizing it, that's what he loved about her.

That's when the realization hit him like a ton of bricks…. he loved her.

 **Later that evening, in the dojo**

Raph and his brother were seated in the dojo waiting on Master Splinter. Raph hated waiting, always did. He heard the door of the dojo slide open. Finally! He turned to see Master Splinter enter along with Zelenia. She had a small, almost invisible smile on her face. Whatever Splinter wanted to say, she was happy about.

Raph and his brothers all bowed in respect as Splinter stood before them and they then took a seat. Raph noticed that while Zelenia did bow she did not sit down with them. In fact, she was standing beside him.

"My sons, I heard about your "stealth" mission tonight." Splinter smirked. "I must say my sons, you are fine warriors but you lack the full art of stealth, something that is key to the ninja. This is my fault, I spent more time training you to fight and to work as a team. I should have focused more on all aspects of your training. Over the years you have had successes but many failures as well."

"Master Splinter, its…." Leo started but was interrupted by Splinters signal for him to stop. Raph knew what he was going to say. He was going to take the blame for what happened, once again. Every time the team failed he blamed himself.

"We are going to have a refresher in stealth training. We will be doing things a different this time." He smiled.

"ooh sounds like fun when do we start!" Mikey piped off. Raph groaned at his brother's enthusiasm for the smallest things.

"Ask your instructor." Splinter then motioned for Zelenia to step forward. "I am going to let Zelenia give you a few lessons in stealth. Her skills are quite remarkable."

"You're going to let _her_ train us?!" Leo sounded quite offended, this make Raph smile.

"Yes, my son. But just stealth training. You will still be responsible for the rest of your brothers training sessions." Splinter stated as started to walk away, giving Leo respond. The look on Leo's face was priceless.

"Woo hoo getting lessons from the ninja princess." Mikey said excitedly. He then hopped over to Zelenia to give her a fist bump, which she returned. "Leo's training is kinda boring" he whispered in her ear, but we all heard him.

Zelenia snickered. Raph smiled at this, he remembered when she first got here. She could not handle Mikey's humor or hyperactivity well but now they were friends. He even was the first person to get her to laugh. His happiness was short lived however when his older brother walked up to her and crossed his arms.

"What can you teach us that we don't already know?" he stated dryly.

"There is always room for improvement. Everyone has something they can teach. For example, Donnie has taught me about science, Mikey introduced me to video games and movies, and you showed me how to be an annoying asshole."

Him and his other two brothers were biting their tongues and covering their mouths to stifle their laughter. Watching Leo and Zelenia bicker had become a source of entertainment around the lair. Leo was still very adamant that he didn't want Raph to see her anymore. He couldn't understand why he didn't like her and why he didn't want him to be with her.

They continued to bicker back and forth until Zelenia challenged him. Raph knew she was doing this on purpose. She had figured out just how to get Leo to do what she wanted without him knowing.

"If you know so much about everything why don't you come to the training and show me! IF you can one-up me Ill hand the lessons over to you, Fearless leader." She smirked at him. And with that the competition was on.

 _This is going to be a fun night_ , Raph groaned to himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Zelenia had lead the turtles to an old abandoned warehouse. Its size was quite impressive to say the least. They gathered around eager to hear what they were going to be doing for training, especially after she pulled out what appeared to be a gun. Raph then realized it was a paint ball gun.

"Are we going to play paintball! Best lesson ever!" Mikey shouted as he jumped up and down.

"No we are not, in fact I only the one gun I borrowed from Casey." Zelenia stated. Raph knew he recognized that paintball gun from somewhere.

"Then what is it for?" Donnie asked.

"Im going to shoot you." She smiled slyly. "when I find you that is."

The brothers looked more confused than ever.

"Im going to give you five minutes to hide somewhere in this warehouse. I will then come looking for you, and if I find you ill shoot you, just like the bad guys would. We will see how long it takes for me to find all of you." She explained.

"Well that isn't fair, your eyes can see just about anything." Their leader popped off.

"I won't be using them. I can turn them off remember. Ill only be using my normal senses. This will give me a better idea of your abilities….. or lack thereof" She added at the end. Raph watched her as she pulled a small alarm clock out of the same bag she pulled the gun from. "Only rule is you can't leave the warehouse itself. When I shoot you then you will return here and wait for the others to return."

"Ok boys, timers set. When it goes off ill come see if I can find you." She smiled. In a flash all of the turtles disappeared in various directions. Raph found his way up to the top of the warehouse and hid in a dark corner on the rafters. He had just positioned himself when he heard the alarm go off. It wasn't a minute later he heard the pop of the gun and Mikey's yelp. Figures he would be the first to go. Soon he heard another pop, then Donnie complaining. This made him snicker, which was his downfall because seconds later he heard the pop and felt the sting on his arm. Damn. Three down and only one to go. Leo.

He joined his brothers where they had begun earlier. He smiled when he saw his two brothers with large paint splatters on their shells. This training was quite unusual but so was the women who was training them. The minutes felt like hours as they waited. Secretly Raph hoped that she would find his brother. Possibly knock him off his pedestal a bit. Then on cue they heard a pop, then they heard Leo yelling something. IT wasn't long till they realized why he was upset. When Leo joined, them he did not have a paint splatter on his shell or arms. It was on his face. She had shot him in between the eyes. He scowled at them when he realized they were staring at his face.

"I don't see what the point in shooting us!" He complained.

"I was the bad guy carrying a gun. I shot you to make a point. If a criminal finds you and they have a gun they will shoot you but not with paint balls. I was hoping this would emphasize the importance of stealth." She them. " I found all of you in less than 10 minutes, without using any special abilities."

"Mikey, you made to much noise when you were taking cover. I knew where you were before the alarm even went off. Donnie, you have a brilliant mind but you picked the most obvious spot. Raph…..I heard you. And finally, Leo, you were the hardest to find. Unfortunately, I saw the light flash off the hilt of your katanas when I walked by."

They all remained silent for a moment as the information absorbed. Raph wondered if he would have been found if he had kept his mouth shut. Surprisingly Leo had no comment to make to her, good or bad.

"Now we switch, you all will try and find me." She stated. "This exercise will be a bit different though you will have ten minutes to find me. In this scenario, I am a bad guy once again but I am trying to hide or get away from you. There four of you and one of me…..this shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Do you get a head start?" Raph asked her.

"Don't need one." She smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat. "when the alarm goes off meet back here."

She picked up the alarm and set it.

"Ten minutes startiiiiing…now!" She yelled as she hit the button and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

His brothers quickly disappeared into different directions to increase their chance of success, but this still did them no good. He heard his brothers, especially Leo, groan when the alarm went off. They then made their way back like she told them. When they arrived she dropped from the ceiling above them.

"Looks like I win." She smirked as she intentionally looked at his brother. "Not only didn't you find me, you didn't find either of us."

"Wait "either", im confused." Mickey said. "Did I miss something; I feel like I'm missing something?"

A black figure appeared at Zelenia's side as she chuckled. The mysterious figure removed their hood to reveal a head of red hair. April. He watched in shock as they high fived each other.

"I have been training her the past few weeks. She's been here the entire time, following you. Not one of you knew she was here. What if she was the enemy?" She asked taking on a more serious tone now.

"Wow, that's awesome sweetheart." Donnie said as he put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"I had a pretty good teacher."

"You never said anyone else was here, that's not fair." Mickey whined at Zelenia.

"The enemy doesn't care about fair." April said, she had a point though. She broke away from Donnie's embrace and returned to Zelenia's side.

"How did you do it?" Leo asked quietly, shocking Raph.

"Necessity." She said plainly.

"That's descriptive." Raph smiled at her.

"Fine, in the name of team building Ill tell you a story. I wasn't always the skilled ninja you see before you. When I was younger I kinda…sucked." She laughed.

"What changed?" Asked April.

"I got my ass kicked in sparing a lot" She smiled. "I was the only kunoichi my age, training with a dozen or so guys. While my father was the one who mainly trained me I still had to spare and train with others my age. I always lost and when I did the guys would always tell me I wouldn't be as good as them because they would always be stronger. But instead of taking it as an insult I took it as a personal challenge. They were right, I would never be as strong as they would but I had a few things they didn't"

"Yeah?" April encouraged her to continue

"Speed and stealth." She chuckled. "My father told me it is hard to hit something you can catch or see. So I worked on becoming faster and unseen. Unknown to them while they were fighting me I was able to discover their strengths and weaknesses and use it against them."

"That's kinda awesome" Laughed Mickey.

"Thank you, now story time is over…and so is this training session." She then turned to look at April. "Time to get going."

"Wait what, where are you going?" Whined Donnie. " I was wanting you to help me with something in the lab"

"Its girl's night." April and Zelenia chimed in together.

April walked over and gave Donnie a good by kiss and said her goodbyes. Raph wondered what it would be like to have a real relationship like his brothers. Him and Zelenia had the physical relationship he wanted but not the emotional one he craved. Even after all the time they spent together he felt that he knew nothing about her past and why she does some of the stuff she does. Like tonight. He watched as she walked away with April, telling him she would text him later. He hoped she would, even just to let him know she was okay.

"Come on guys, lets head home for the night." Leo ordered.


	21. Chapter 22

**I appologize for taking so long to update my story. Life has been a little crazy. This chapter is mostly to get some infromation that will be used in the upcoming chapters. I will hopefully the other chapters posted soon.**

 **3:00 am**

Raph laid there on his bed, like he had been for the past few hours, and stared at the ceiling. It had been a few hours or more since Z left him at the warehouse. She told him she would talk to him later but she never did. He thought about texting her many times of the last few hours but he did not want her to think he was needy or pathetic. But it was getting late and the sun would be up in about 4 hours. Aprils apartment was not the greatest place to get stuck at all day since most of the rooms had large windows that let sunlight in. Raph pulled him self up and walked over to the dresser where his phone was charging. No messages. He took a deep breath and started texting.

Raph: Hey, suns goin to be up soon

He stared at his phone for what seemed like forever. Finally to his relief it notified him he had a new message.

Z: I know

Raph: Where are you?

Z: At Aprils still, we been drinking a bit

Raph smiled. At least she was safe, and he knew what was coming next.

April: Hey we neeed a favr

Raph: Yea?

April: We r out of alchol, I knw u have some

Raph: Let me guess you want me to bring it?

April: yes….

Same as last time and the time before they got drunk together. They ran out of aclhol and because neither of them were in any condition to go get any, they had him bring some from the lair. This was no surprise considering that Zelenia's body filtered out booze fast so she usually needed to keep drinking otherwise she'd end up sober quick. After her first hangover she never had another one, lucky bitch. Her body knew how to respond after that.

Raph: fine be there soon

It did not take him long to reach Aprils studio apartment, which was a good thing considering how cold it was. He reached the roof and heard the girls laughing. He was about to hop down to the fire escape and go through the window until he heard Aprils next question.

April: So how are things between you and Raph?

He knew it was not right to eavesdrop on their conversation but with how withdrawn Zelenia had been over the past few weeks this was most likely the only way he would ever know how she felt. He knew that she could detect him if she tried but that was only if she focused and right now she was distracted this was the perfect opportunity. His heart raced in his chest as he waited for her to reply.

Zelenia: What do you mean? *in a serious tone*

Not what he was hoping for...

April: Oh my god your terrible at this. I can tell your getting sober *Chuckle*

Zelenia: What's that supposed to mean?

April: Well….you see when you drink your "filter" isn't strong as it normally is. I can get you to talk to me about things you never would normally tell me.

Zelenia: That's…I don't know what to day to that. Anyway, what do you want me to say?

April: Just tell me stuff like I tell you about Donnie.

Zelenia: Yeah...no.

April: Why not?

Zelenia: After the stuff, you told me about Donnie I don't think I can look at him for a week *she chuckled*

April: Fine...have you at least slept with him with the lights on

Zelenia: That is none of your business

April: Ill take that as a no. So whats the issue do you not like the way he looks or something? Its been a couple months, hasn't it?

Zelenia: He looks just fine, besides I can see in the dark anyway. Aaand I really don't want to talk about this.

April: Your doing it again…..

Zelenia: What?

April: Pulling away and isolating yourself again. I have seen you do it with Raph over the past few weeks and now your doing it to me. You were doing so well, what changed?

Zelenia: Im not pulling away.

April: Then answer my question. How can I help you with your "problem"? You must talk to me about things that's the deal between us and Splinter.

Problem? What problem was April referring too and what deal? Raph moved closer to the window so he could hear them better.

Zelenia: What I have isn't a problem! In fact, it's the only reason I'm alive still! You wouldn't understand!

April: Yes it is, if you didn't think it was why did you ask Splinter and me for help. We are trying to help you get over this roadblock.

Zelenia: What does me not wanting to fuck with the lights on have to do with anything?

April: Because your avoiding it. What do you expect Raph to never have the lights on forever?

Zelenia: Forever…HA! What me and Raph have isn't going to last very long.

Raph could feel his heart drop into his stomach. How could she be so…..cold about it? Is that why she has started to pull away from him? Shes going to leave.

April: Now why the hell did you say something like that?

Zelenia: That's just how these FWB arrangements work. Eventually they get bored and move on. That's the point, no strings attached.

April: You sound like you know from experience.

Zelenia: yeah I do, its just how things go. Nothing you can do about it.

April: Well what if he wanted more than your "arrangement"?

She asked Zelenia the question he was dying to know for weeks now. He knew she would answer April honestly, it was the nature of their friendship. Raph hated to admit it but he was sometimes jealous of Aprils relationship with Zelenia. She seemed more open with April and they would talk for hours. April knew more about her than anyone. But April was a true friend and would never tell anyone what her and Zelenia talked about, still leaving him in the dark. He had already tried once, didn't work out.

Zelenia: No

April: What?!

Zelenia: Umm no?

April: I get that but why? Is something wrong?

Zelenia: *sigh* Look Raph is probably the sweetest guy. But…I…..I just cant.

Raph felt his heart sink to his feet. But wait….she didn't say she didn't want to…..she said she couldn't.

April: what do you mean you cant? That makes no sense!

Zelenia: I cant ok! Now just drop it! I don't see how this is helping anything, in fact this is just pissing me off more!

April: There's something you haven't told me isn't there? Something that happened?

Zelenia: Yes, but I don't plan to talk about it anytime soon so get that thought out of your head.

April: You know, you wouldn't have to talk if you just….you know let me back in.

Raph knew what April was referring to instantly. April has been working hard leaning about her psychic powers. She can now see people's memories , but she can only do it if they allow them in willingly. If they were not so willing she could only get small bits of information. Nothing substantial though. She can also feel others emotions more than she used to. These powers of hers have come in handy on many occasions. But her true passion was using her powers helping others with their problems, which is why she studied psychology. He now knew why their bond was so unique. April wasn't just her friend but she was "treating" her in a way. Like what Splinter was doing but in a different way.

Zelenia: Fuck that! I let you in twice and it felt weird. I don't want you wondering around my brain again. There are just some things that…..nevermind. Its just not happening anymore!

April: Well, Ill drop this. But only for now, next week we will pick up where we left off. I don't wanna push to far to soon.

Zelenia: We are not returning to this topic anymore at all.

April: What could be so bad? I mean I have learned some…..umm…..things that have happened to you from what you told me and the two times you let me in. I don't think it can get much worse but you told me about that.

Zelenia: It gets worse, it always does.

That last statement left Raph feeling a little uneasy. Just the way she said it, he didn't like the dark tone she used. Silence fell between the two women; this was his opportunity to "arrive". He hopped down to the fire escape and crawled through the unlocked window. To his surprise both girls were happy to see him. It had been a while since she smiled when he walked into a room, she used to all the time when they first started their "arrangement" as she apparently called it. In fact, she wasn't smiling or talking that much to anyone the last two weeks. Something was wrong and he had to figure it out somehow. He had to make her see how he felt, he knew words would not be enough for a woman like her. But first he had to figure out why she "can't" be more than his friend. That was going to be close to impossible with how guarded she had become.

Raph stayed a little while with the two women. He had some drinks and a few laughs with them and then walked Zelenia home before the night was over. But his mind was somewhere else, he knew what he had to do now. He just needed to figure out the "how".


	22. The Price You Pay

_Thank you for everyone who has commented_ lor _favored my story. For every path in life, there is a cost, I truly believe this. But that does not always mean its a bad thing. In my own_ life _I have seen this many times. One of the main ones is "the price of success" as my friend once called it. I graduated high school early and went to college and got my Bachelor's and Master's in Science rather early. I also became a single mother during this time. The price I paid for this was that I hardly had a social life and now when I'm sitting with my friends and they tell me about all the fun they had when they were 18-21 I have nothing to tell. Most people that young spend time partying and having fun. I spent my weekend's studying and working on research. Now I'm 25 years old and I only have a few friends/ no social life. But I have a good job, husband, and life. I'm not unhappy but I do with I would have made time for more fun in my life_

2 weeks later

Raph's plan was a success…..for the most part. After eavesdropping, as some would call it, he learned that asking her directly to go on a date or talk about what they where was not the best approach. He had to go about this in a way that would not make her pull away again. To do this he decided to use her love of fighting to his advantage. She was just like him, couldn't turn down a good fight or challenge. He simply walked up to her and asked her to train with him and show him some new techniques. Turns out she knew many forms of fighting and martial arts. To his surprise she quickly accepted and they have been spending at least anew hours a day together since. This did not include the patrols or the "alone" time they would still occasionally enjoy. The only down side to this was the bruises and sore muscles he received from their sparing/training sessions.

He had convinced her to teach him more about Kyusho-Jitsu, or a form of pressure point fighting. While Zelenia carried blades, oddly she never used them except one or twice. This still baffled not only Raph but everyone else as well. Raph knew that her primary weapons were her hands, since her specialty was taijutsu, or hand to hand combat. Her blades and kurisgama simply functioned as a secondary defense. He knew there had to be a reason she never drew her weapons but he was not about to ask. Per Zelenia, for taijutsu to be effective one must take down or disable their opponent quickly. Therefore, Kyusho-Jitsu and Varma Kalai worked together with taijutsu because it allows her to cause maximum pain and discomfort with little physical. If he mastered this form then she told him she "may" teach him a bit about Varma Kalai, the Indian cousin of Kyusho-Jitsu, that was more complicated and dangerous.

This training is how he ended up in his current situation. On the dojo floor, on his knees, clutching his arm….again. Turns out him and his terrapin brothers were more human than he expected, at least when it came to nerve and muscle placement. During sparing she flipped over him and before he could react she it a point on the back of his shoulder right about his shell. The sharp pain quickly shot from his shoulder to his arm causing him to collapse on his knees.

He heard her footsteps approaching him.

"You need to work on your reaction time, its slow." She said flatly. Of course, she would say that.

"Thanks for the advice" he growled out, as the pain in his arm finally started to ebb. He got himself back on to his feet and stood before her. She was….was smiling at him. While normally he would get pissed if someone was smirking at him, he as actually happy. This proved that she was starting to let her guard down and getting more relaxed around him. She was starting to back to the way she was on their first "date".

"I think we are done for tonight." She chuckled. She then walked over to where she placed her towel and started wiping the sweat off her face. She probably would not be so hot if she would not wear clothes that covered every inch of her body. She always felt the need to hide her entire body, no matter what. He did not know why but he was determined to find out. They had slept together many times but he still had not seen her naked. This was both strange and frustrating to him.

"You know the night is still young, we could go do something." Raph suggested.

"Like what?" She asked slyly.

"Well maybe go for a walk, I don't know."

"Fine, but let me put on something else on first." She said, as she turned aroud and walked out of the dojo without another word.

Well at least it wasn't a no.

An hour later they were walking along the rooftops in the cold winter air. Raph was once again puzzled by the beautiful women walking next to him. She wasn't wearing more than a thin long sleeve shirt and pants, but she was not even shivering a bit. It didn't even seem to bother her. The more time he spent with her the more questions he had, that would most likely never be answered, but at least he would never be bored.

His attention turned to the airplane that flew over their heads. He had always dreamed about traveling the world and seeing new places. But with his appearance he knew that it would never happen.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked jolting him out of his daydream.

"Huh?"

"You seemed lost in thought, looking up at the sky."

"Oh, I have always wanted to travel, see the world." He replied

"I used to be the same way. Its not as glamorous as it seems, every place is basically the same." She said dryly

"You've…traveled?" Raph asked. He knew she was from Japan, but he never thought of the possibly of her ever going anywhere else.

"Yes, but not for vacation I can assure you. Sometimes my "missions" led me to other countries." She said.

She then looked to the sky where the airplane had been and whispered: _the price you pay._

"Huh?" He asked

"Oh something my father used to say, you know everything has a price you pay." She paused. "So example, I got to travel to other countries, like I used to dream of as a kid, but the price I paid was witnessing and experience things I wish I hadn't. Its just the way life works, at least in my eyes"

She then chuckled.

"Another great example is the power I have. I got stronger but the price I paid was never being able to be in the sun, have kids, or anything like that. And even then, each power has a price in itself."

"Oh I see, I think, wait what do you mean each power." He stuttered.

"Well my eyes help me see things that normal people cannot, but they take a lot of energy and practice to suppress."

"Then why suppress them at all, Its not like we haven't seen them before so there is no reason to hide them."

"Well they still can make people uncomfortable, but that's not the main reason." She stated. "My eyes take in so much that it causes to much sensory input, after a while I will suffer pretty bad migraines if I use them too long."

They continued walking in silence for a while. Raph didn't know how to handle this situation. This was what he wanted, for her to talk to him but now that it was happening he was hesitant. She was speaking to him almost freely, but why now?

"That's a bleak outlook on life." He finally blurted out.

"maybe, but it's the hand I was given. May not be true for everyone but I feel that its true in my life. Nothings wrong with that, I just have to ask myself "is it worth the price" or "what am I willing to sacrifice" and that helps me make decisions."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Wow, that's surprising." She said as she patted him on the shell. He then jokingly pushed her to the side.

"It just reminds me that you can't have it all, you have to make a choice…then you have to live with the consequences, good and/or bad. Its kinda a lesson in humility"

Raph was about to respond when his and Zelenia's t-phone started ringing and flashing red. He knew what it meant and it wasn't anything good.

"What the fuck is up with this phone." Zelenia asked as she tried to turn it down.

"Its our emergency system, if one of us is in trouble we push just one button and its sends a signal to everyone. Donnie designed it after one of us almost died because we couldn't dial for help, this is faster and gets everyone's attention."

"How the fuck does this work, how do we find whoever it is?!" She half screamed. Raph looked at her face and saw something he hadn't seen before, worry and fear.

"Its Casey, he's 2 miles north of here…."

Before he could finish she was gone, running in Casey's direction. He ran behind her, he tried to catch up but it was no use, she was on a mission. Damn when she was determined she was even faster than he thought. He then watched as she jumped off a building and disappeared in a flash of white light, only to reappear a few blocks ahead. She continued this pattern until he could no longer see her. He forgot she could do that….at least she would get there quickly and help his friend.

When Raph finally arrived he was greeted with a gruesome sight. Donnie and Zelenia were on the ground next to Casey who was laying in a pool of his own blood. Donnie had his medical supplies spread out while Zelenia held a towel over Casey's abdomen.

"What happened!" Was all he could manage to say as he fell to his knees beside his best friend. His eyes were closed, his skin was pale, and he didn't look like he was breathing.

"He was unconscious when I got here, looks like he took a few shots to the chest and abdomen." Donnie said as his voice shook and tears ran down his eyes. He wasn't doing anything anymore, why wasn't he doing something!

"HELP HIM!?" Raph screamed at his brother, as tears filled his eyes as well.

"Raph, there's nothing I can do anymore. He's lost to much blood and he is fading fast. I cant….its too…late…..ss..oo sorry."

"NO THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING, HE STILL ALIVE ISNT HE!"

"The damage….it's to…extensive…..even surgery couldn't….and the blood loss…I…if I had been a little faster….maybe….but now there's nothing I can do.." Donnie managed to choke out between tears.

"But I can…" Zelenia said calmly. How was she so calm right now!? His best friend was dying! "Donnie have Splinter get the Med bay ready, quickly."

"Zelenia, there's nothing…." Donnie started but was interrupted by her.

"IT WASN'T A SUGGESTION DONETELLO!" She snarled at him. With that she took the towel she was holding off of Casey's major wound on his abdomen and tossed it to the side. She then placed her bloodied hands directly on the open wound. Raph watched as a slight glow started to emanate for her hands and slowly spread over Casey's body. The light then passed from Casey to Zelenia, she then stood up and stumbled back and into the alley wall.

Before he could comprehend what had happened Casey sat up quickly, startling both him and his brother. He started patting his chest and abdomen, and then hopped to his feet. His wounds were…just gone. The only evidence from his injuries were his bloodied clothes.

"Casey? Are you….all….right?" Raph asked in disbelief.

"I feel….fine…actually I feel better than I ever have." He said wide eyed and confused.

"There's no…..way…..how?" His genius brother stuttered.

"HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Casey suddenly shouted as he pointed in Zelenia's direction

Zelenia was now on the ground propped up against the wall. She was now clutching her own abdomen and she was bleeding. A lot. In a heartbeat all three of them rushed to her side. A decent puddle of blood had already started to form.

"HOLY SHIT… HOW DID? WHAT?" Raph cried as he fell to her side. "Z, LOOK AT ME!"

He cupped her face in his hands and turned her to look at him. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled.

"Questions…later. Donnie…here's your second chance….I heal fast but…..the bleeding…isn't gonna stop itself fast enough." And with that her eyes fluttered shut. Raph yelled her name but this time she didn't respond.


	23. Truce

24

For Raph the last few hours had past like a blur. After Zelenia lost consciousness Donnie pulled himself out of his shocked state and got to work on stopping the bleeding. Moments later Mikey and Leo pulled up with the shellraiser and we got her back to the lair. Leo had a million questions, as usual, but they fell on deaf ears as himself and Donnie tried to save the dying women. When they arrived at the lair Donnie, despite his protests, kicked every one out of the medical bay except April and Splinter. Then silence….nothing…..no news so far.

Now he waited, pacing back and forth in front of the medical bay doors. struggling to comprehend what had happened. One moment he was losing his best friend and then a few seconds later the women he loved. He could hear Casey telling everyone what had happened. Apparently, he was stopping two men from robbing a woman in an alley. Everything was going as usual until their friend arrived. He came around the corner of the alley so fast that Casey did not see the gun until 5 shots were fired at him. Three of which hit their intended target, him. After that the three men ran off and left him there to die.

His last conversation with Zelenia still played over and over in his head. Especially one part: the price your willing to pay. It was then that he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Leo, the last person he wanted to see right now. After the way he treated her, never trusting her, telling him he shouldn't get involved with her. In the far back of his mind he knew he shouldn't take his anguish out on Leo, but he did anyway.

"Get away from me." Raph warned. Knowing his anger would boil over.

"Raph, Im sorry for….." He continued talking, completely ignoring Raph's warning

"For what? For saying she wasn't to be trusted? For saying I shouldn't care about her? Or my personal favorite, that she is somehow a danger to our family. SHE WAS WILLING TO DIE FOR ONE OF US!" Raph started to scream as he pushed Leo away from him.

"THE WOMEN I LLO…CARE ABOUT IS DYING! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, IF YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YA!" He continued to scream. In the back of his mind he knew it wasn't Leo's fault and he shouldn't be taking it out on him but he couldn't help it. His rage and anger, he thought he had gotten control of years ago, were out of control again.

He thought Leo would continue to try and reason with him, to talk to him, but he was wrong. To his surprise Leo pulled in into his arms and held him in a hug.

"And that's why im sorry. "Leo whispered. "Its going to be ok, she's resilient, she will make it"

Raph could not believe what he was hearing. Leo had admitted he was wrong about her. Was it only because she was probably dying or did he really mean it. His thoughts were interrupted by the medibay door slowly opening. It was April. Raph felt his heart stop in his chest. Time seemed to stop as he waited for her to say something.

"We got the bleeding to stop and the wounds closed." She said softly. She had circles under her eyes and Raph could tell at some point she had been crying. "Shes stable for now, Donnie said if she last through the night then she should have healed enough to make it."

Raph could tell she wasn't telling them everything. Something in her voice made him wearily.

"Whats wrong, Red." Casey spoke up

April sighed. "Doing…well what ever she did, used up a lot of her energy. Shes not healing as fast as she normally does. We are concerned she may...not make it till morning. Right now we are just making sure she is comfortable. Donnie has given her medicine to help with the pain."

Splinter appeared at the door and told them they could come in to see her. Raph was the first through the door and to her side. The sight made his heart shatter. Her seemingly lifeless body laid there on the surgery table/ medical bed. Her breathing was barely visible and her skin was paler than normal. If it wasn't for the steady beep of the heart monitor he would have thought she was already dead. He reached over and took her hand, it was cold.

"So how did this happen, I heard what happened but it seems impossible." Leo stated.

"Scientifically its not possible." Donnie replied.

"Not everything can be explained with science, Donatello." Said Splinter.

"I didn't even know she could do anything like this, why haven't we seen this before, why hasn't she said anything?" Leo started to question.

Their conversation continued but all Raph cold think about was his and Zelenia's last conversation.

"The price your willing to pay" he said, not realizing he said it out loud.

"What?" Casey said standing behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"She talked about how everything comes with a price, even her power. Maybe to heal someone the price is her health." Raph finished.

"The law of conservation of energy, sort of." Donnie pipped up.

"The law of what?" Micky questioned

"The law of conservation of energy." April continued. "it says that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be altered from one form to another."

"So your saying her healing someone is like an energy transfer?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know I have never seen anything like this." Donnie answered.

"But why me?" Casey said quietly. "Why did she want to save me, especially if she might die? Raph and April yeah maybe, but me?

Raph didn't have an answer for his friend. He suddenly felt Zelenia's hand move in his. His eyes widened and he leaned closer to her. Her eyes opened slightly as she started to mutter. He couldn't understand her at first but she finally started to speak a little louder.

"I couldn't sssave them, aand I couldn't save hh..im." She mumbled, barely audible.

"Who?" Raph asked leaning closer. He hadn't noticed that everyone else in the room had moved closer to the bed to hear her. Raph could tell that she was not all there so to speak. The medicine that Donnie had her on to make her "comfortable" was a powerful opiate.

"I tried but there…..was so…..I couldn't stop the bl..eeding….he just there in my arms." She continued as her eye lids struggled to open. "I can't….I didn't know….what to..do I fffailed them. I rather die…than watch….someone die in my…arms. Happened too many times…now."

"Who died?" Raph said softly. He knew this was the last time she would so willingly tell him something like this. Unfortunately before she could answer she fell unconscious again. Raph then tried to make sense of her statements. She mentioned that "they" died. Meaning more than one person died but she kept focusing on the "him" who died in her arms. Who was this? Was it a possible lover? Many possibilities raced through his mind. Either way it didn't matter he would work this out later, all that mattered was that she made it. He wasn't going to leave her side till she did. This was how he was going to prove that he cared about her.

Raph didn't know how much time had passed but eventually everyone had left the room except Donnie. He was going to stay as well but Raph knew he needed to get some rest and comfort April. A few hours later she began to stir again. Her heart rate on the monitor began to pick up the pace and she started to jerk and twitch in her sleep. Raph had seen this many times, even experienced it himself, she was having a nightmare.

"nnoo." She whimpered. He had never heard such a helpless sound come from her before. He didn't think it was possible. He decided to try and wake her up. That was a mistake.

"Get off me! Leave me! I have to go back." She cried as he gently grabbed her shoulders to give her a nudge. Before he knew it her fist made contact with his cheek. Fuck, for someone who was half dead she could still hit. He put his three-fingered hand up to his snout instinctively. When he pulled his hand away he saw it was stained red. Yep, she hit him hard. He would be upset if it didn't mean that she was gaining her strength back.

"Zelenia, its me, Raph." He said loudly as he cautiously put his hand on her arm. Drugs and bad dreams were not a good mix, he knew he had to snap her out of it.

"Raph?" She said quietly. She was still not fully aware of the situation, he could tell by her weak and tired voice but at least she was no longer having her nightmare.

"Yeah im here." He reassured her, not really sure if she really understood him.

"Why?" she asked, finally opening her eyes a little. He wasn't sure how to answer that question, it didn't make sense to him.

"Why what?" He then took her hand in his. She looked down at them holding hands, confused.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be asleep or something?

Raph watched as she shifted herself around slowly. He saw a slight wince but nothing more. She then propped herself up slightly.

"You need sleep." She said flatly. " I can take care of myself."

Raph couldn't believe she expected no one to be here for her, especially after she almost died. Had no one really been there for her or did she think that little of them.

"Im not leaving." He said. "You need to take it easy so you can heal faster, and Im going to help you."

"Im fine."

"I almost watched you die." Raph said as his voice caught in his throat. "I…I care about you, I don't want anything to happen to you." He finally admitted.

"Im fond of you as well, which is why you need to get some rest. This isn't the first time I have been close to death and it sure wont be the last. Im fine right now." She said as her expression softened.

 _Well,_ Raph smiled to himself, _she said she was fond of me. That's better than nothing._

"She's right." Leo said from the door. "You haven't rested in a while, you need it as well. Ill sit with her."

Raph seemed skeptical at first but the look on Leo's face was one of caring. Maybe this was his hint that he wanted to apologize or talk to her at least. He decided that if things were going to get better between them they had to work it out on their own. He said his goodnights to both and made his way to his room. He hated to admit it but he was exhausted, but he wouldn't sleep long. He wanted to get back to her as soon as he could.

"I don't need a baby-sitter." She told Leo as soon as Raph was out of sight.

"I know that." He said as he took a seat next to her bed. He saw her eyes narrow slightly. She was skeptical and he could understand why. Most of their previous interactions were not positive. Most of them he had caused. He was not proud of his behavior.

"Then why are you here, afraid to leave him alone with me again." She said. He knew what she referred too. He had made it clear over the past few months that he did not want her near his brother.

"I need to apologize for my actions….." He started.

"don't." She interrupted.

"But I…." He tried again.

"Don't…Look I get it. I can see how you may see me as a threat. You don't know anything about me and I don't talk much about myself. But it's not because I'm trying to hide something…..I…..I just find it hard to talk to others." She then looked in his eyes.

"But if you ever need to ask me something I will tell you the truth unless I can't. I promise you that. Apologizing alone isn't going to fix much, and I don't need or want one. Especially if they are out of guilt or pity" She finished

"ooo…ok." Leo said. He didn't know what to say. Did she think he was only saying this because he felt bad because she almost died, he could see how she could interpret it that way, but that was not the case. He couldn't tell if they were going to make up or not. He couldn't tell if she was going to forgive him. At first it sounded like she was, then the next minute not so much. The way she talked frustrated him to no end. He couldn't see what his brother saw in her sometimes.

It wasn't long before the medicine got the better of her again and she was falling back asleep. Leo stayed there as promised and made sure nothing happened. He thought back on her promise, to tell him the truth about anything he asked. That was at least a start, right?

But then she added "unless I can't" what the hell did that mean?

Leo hoped someone would take the next shift before she woke back up, this woman gave him a headache, just like his hot-headed brother.


	24. Dream Invasion

**Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews! If you like there is a link at the end of this chapter about dream invasion.**

Zelenia woke suddenly in the night. She winced slightly at the pain in her abdomen. For mo, t it would be too much to bear without pain meds, which she now refused due to the nightmares she experiences the first night.

Pain was meant to be felt, sometimes it was the only thing she could feel thanks to her "training". Well until recently.

The first thing she noticed is that she was in her bed rather than the medibay. It was then she remembered. She had woken up the day after the "incident" and demanded to be in her room. Donnie had initially refused but after a strong "debate" he reconsidered, it also helped that Raph agreed to keep an eye on her since their rooms are next to one another.

The second thing she noticed was the quiet. It was too quiet, if there was such a thing. There was no one talking, no tv, and also no snoring. With her heightened sense of hearing she could always hear the boys snoring. Mikey was the worst of them all. Something was not right.

She carefully rolled herself out of bed and stumbled over to the dresser. She cursed herself, she had worse in the past why was this bothering her so much. She looked around for her pair kodachi but could not find them. She deduced that they must still be in the lab with here other belongings. Normally she would not be too concerned and would rely on her taijutsu but in her condition, she wanted the added protection. It did not matter, she kept a small arsenal of weapons hidden around her room. After gathering a few shuriken and kunai she headed out her door.

All the lights were off, even the TV. But it didn't matter she could see just fine. She slowly walked out into the middle of the Livingroom, closed her eyes and listened. Nothing.

"Well well." A husky voice said in the dark

She recognized the voice and it sent chills up her spine. It was a voice long gone, a voice long dead. She quickly turned around in the direction of that voice.

There he stood. He was tall and his skin was pale. His hair was dark, mid length. His beautiful green eyes met hers, the same eyes she once got lost in. He had his hands on his abdomen, just staring at her. She stepped a little closer and it didn't take her long to notice he was standing in something.

Upon closer inspection, she realized he was standing in a puddle of blood, his blood. Blood was pouring from the wounds in his abdomen, the ones his blood-stained hands were trying to cover. He coughed and blood started to run out of his mouth and down his throat. He smiled.

"Why do you look so surprised, you're the one responsible for this." He smirked as he fell to his knees.

Her heart was pounding in her throat, she felt tears run down her cheeks, a sensation she hadn't felt in years. She was responsible, but it wasn't her fault, she had no choice. She turned her back to him, she didn't want to watch this. It was moments later she felt a hand on her shoulder, instinct took over, she grabbed her kunai and drove it home. When she heard her opponent drop she then turned around too assess the situation. That's when she realized that she had done.

Instead of the man she was expecting to find on the ground, she saw Raph. She scrambled to his side, pulled out the knife and checked his pulse. He was alive.

"Why would you do this to me?" He sneered. "What kind of monster are you?"

He then closed his eyes and fell limp in her arms. She did the only thing she could….screamed his name.

Raph was startled awake by screaming. He hit the floor with a loud thud as he fell out of his bed in a panic. It took a second to realize what was going on.

Someone was screaming.

Someone was screaming his name

Finally, it hit him like a ton of bricks. It was Zelenia, she was screaming his name. He quickly got to his feet and ran out the door. He stumbled on his discarded gear but caught his balance and kept going. He quickly exited his door and entered hers. What he saw caused him to pause.

Zelenia was dead center on her bed thrashing. She had stopped screaming his name but her movements were sporadic and unpredictable. What he noticed immediately was her hands. They were above her head stationary, almost like they were pinned there. But there was nothing them, but they never once moved.

Raph ran to her side and quickly tried to wake her up. He gently shook her, saying her name. There were tears running down her eyes, something he had never seen before. She looked scared.

She finally opened her eyes and when Raph could see the relief wash over her face. She then grabbed him and pulled him closer, as if to see if he was real or not. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was heavy.

"Hey, its ok. Im here." Raph said gently. He ran his hand down her arm reassuringly.

"Www..why are you in my room?" She asked harshly, still trying to get her bearings.

"You screamed for me." He replied

"It was so real." She mumbled under her breath, thinking Raph couldn't hear her.

She then looked at him, her eyes back to normal.

"Im sorry I woke you." She said sincerely. "I…I…"

"Its ok, really." He said kissing her forehead. "Let me go get you some water."

Zelenia, to his surprise, did not protest his offer or help. In fact, she looked almost grateful or relieved he was there. As he walked out of the room to go to the kitchen he found himself smiling.

His brothers were waiting there; they had heard her scream but did not get involved when they saw him calming her down. He explained that she just had a nightmare, they accepted this answer and went to bed to his relief. He did not mention the strange nature of the dream.

Zelenia watched as Raph exited her room. She was thankful he decided to go get her something to drink, not that she needed it. She needed a few minutes to contemplate what had happened. She was used to nightmares. She had them all the time, almost every night this year. But this was different, it was no normal dream.

She should have known she was in a dream, she was aware of her surroundings. But she thought it was real even thought it was outrageous. Then the way the dream changed depending on how she reacted was also not natural. This dream was meant to cause mental anguish. And she felt it, normally her emotions were more in check but she could not control them. She felt her emotional energy being drained from her in the process. But towards the end, she felt something else. Another presence in her nightmare, someone behind the scenes watching and waiting. No, this was no nightmare.

This was a dream invasion. She knew this from others who had experienced it.

This type of technique can only be done by someone with psychic powers, strong powers. Her next course of action was clear. She had to talk to April as soon as she could. Someone had been following her for months, toying with her, now they were invading her dreams. They were trying to cause her mental stress, make her nervous. She wasn't just being followed, she as being hunted. This infuriated her more than anything. She was the hunter, the assassin, not the prey.

She knew what she had to do: Kill them before they kill her or someone she cared about.

Link:


	25. Ill Try

Three days later

The liar was strangely silent. Raph's brothers were out on patrol, Splinter was meditating, and April was out of town "taking care of something". That was the vague reason she gave Donnie before she left, she answered her calls and text so they knew she was just fine, it was just unlike her. Even more odd was that Zelenia seemed "ok" with it.

So essentially him and Zelenia had the liar to themselves. He was in the kitchen making her some tea, She sat in the living room reading a variety of books Donnie had loaned her. Just based on the titles he did not see how she didn't fall asleep from boredom. But don't judge a book by its cover, right?

"here ya go." He stated as he handed her the coffee mug of tea.

"You don't have to do this you know." She smiled as she excepted it.

"just drink your disgusting ass tea." He teased. She huffed at him, but didn't say anything as she slowly sipped her tea. She continued to read her book, while he watched her. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Even now with messy hair, black and gray zipper jacket and sweat pants she was beautiful. He was wondering if tonight was a good opportunity to tell her a little bit more about how he felt. HE couldn't help but notice that she had soften up to him quite a bit over the past four days and she did not hide her emotions like she used too. Sadly, he wondered how long it was going to last this time. She would always soften up but then a week later go back to her normal stoic self. It was like she was having some kind of internal debate.

"So, you want me to make us something to eat?" he offered

"Im not hungry but thank you." She replied.

"Zelenia?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes, Raph." She glanced up from her book.

"You haven't eaten in two days." He said, watching her closely to gauge her response. It was true, she had only eaten once since her accident. And that was because she was practically forced too by Donnie's constant nagging. He thought back on the last five months and realized besides him bringing her food or taking her out she never ate on her own. She had to be prompted first, this concerned him.

"Oh, I guess I haven't." She replied "I guess I could eat something after my walk."

He watched as she sat her book and cup of tea down on the table. For the last two days she would go on these little walks just to get out of the lair. He could tell she was getting restless. It had only been five days since she had been shot and she was already stir crazy. He could understand this well, but her walks also served another purpose. She would walk to a location where the moons light would shine down into the sewers and sit there. He assumed this was what was helping her heal faster. But just like the previous times he was not going to let her go alone.

"Ill grab my gear and Ill join you." He said as he went to retrieve his things, not giving her a change to reply.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting in an old abandon access tunnel under a storm drain looking up at the moon. She had not said a word to him the entire walk here and he didn't say anything to her.

"You didn't have to come with me." She stated, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"I know."

"I can take care of myself." She said

"You don't have to anymore, you know that right?" He said hesitantly. Now was as good as time as ever to have this conversation.

"what?" She asked.

"Be alone, take care of yourself, you have us now. You have me. " He struggled through the words. He then took her by the hand and made sure she was looking him in the eyes. He wanted her to know he was serious.

"I care a lot about you." He finally admitted. He saw her face harden and her eyes got wider.

"You shouldn't." She said turning her face away.

"why not?" He asked, now confused.

"If you knew who I really am, the things that I have done, you wouldn't care about me." She said firmly.

"I know a little." He admitted.

"How?" she questions suspiciously.

"Z, we have been "neighbors" for almost 6 months now, the wall that separates our rooms is very thin. I…..I can hear you talking in your sleep some nights." He said.

He saw and felt her tense.

"Raph.." she started.

"No, let me finish." He said sternly. "Look, im not asking for a commitment immediately. I…I just…want you to give…us. This a chance."

"What do you mean?" She asked seriously.

"Give me a chance to get to know you, get close to you. Every time I think I'm getting to know you, you pull away."

"This isn't a good idea." She said looking away again. "I don't know how to even start anymore."

"Just talk to me, let me in a little. Just give this a chance is all I'm asking." He pleaded.

There was a long silence as he watch Zelenia think over what he said. The seconds felt like hours as he waited for her reply.

"I cant promise you anything." She said finally. "But….Ill try. What do you want me to do."

Raph couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had agreed to give them a real chance, to stop pulling away from him when he got close. Finally, the chance he had been longing for since they first started their "arrangement".

"I guess you could answer questions, instead of blowing them off." He said in a joking tone.

"Well what questions do you have, I may be able to answer."

He knew he couldn't dig too deep just yet, he didn't want to ruin his chance. He had a hundred questions but he knew if he pushed to hard he may push her away again.

"Why don't you eat very much?" He decided to ask.

"I was…..trained that way." She replied.

"umm ok could you be more specific." He inquired. He watched as she took a deep breathe in and let it out.

"When I made it to the higher ranks of the Hamato Clan I had to go through "endurance" training." She started. "We were trained to endure any type of conditions that we would potentially encounter on our missions. This included no food, no water, extreme cold and heat. We even had to go through pain tolerance training. Because of this I don't feel the cold or feel hungry anymore. Sometimes I forget to eat, honestly."

"Wow, that's harsh." He replied.

"It improves our mission success rate." She replied, looking away from him. He could tell now she was starting to drift else where in her mind. So he decided to change the subject before she was too lost in though.

"Lets head back to the lair. Im not much of a cook but I can re-heat some left overs." He smiled at her.

"Sounds nice." She said as she got up and walked with him back to their lair.

When they arrived back home Raph rummaged through the fridge and threw together something for them to eat. They ate mostly in silence as Raph watched her with concern. When he handed her the plate she seemed almost like she had to convince herself to eat it. When she did she took a few bites and was done. He didn't want to push the issue and decided to talk to Donnie about her eating habit, or lack of. After he was done Raph gathered the dishes and put them in the sink and when he turned around to return to the table she was gone.

After a brief search, he determined she was in her room. He struggled with the decision to knock or leave her alone. He decided to knock.

"Zelenia?". He asked as he softly knocked on her door. When she opened the door he noticed that she did not have her lights on but rather her candles lit. She usually did this when her eyes were hurting from the light. Sometimes even the lights in the lair got to her.

"Yes." She replied

"Are you ok? You kinda disappeared on me." He smiled at her, hoping to lighten the mood.

"If I had truly disappeared you would not have been able to find me, I assure you." She said sarcastically. This made him chuckle a little, he found her sarcasm one of his favorite qualities.

"You didn't really answer my question." He said

"I still think this is a bad idea." She replied meeting his gaze.

"I know." He sighed, knowing what she was referring too. He closed the distance between them and smiled down at her.

"Can I help you?" She smirked.

"Yea." He whispered against her ear. Wrapping his hand around her waist he pulled her against him firmly. He could feel his need for her rising as he felt her warmth pressed against him. He leaned down and nuzzled the inside of her neck, checking her reaction. When she didn't pull away he decided to go further and start kissing and nipping her neck and shoulder. He heard her let out a little moan and redirected his attention to her lips, kissing her deeply. Raph felt her arms wrap around and she parted her lips to allow him better access. Seizing this opportunity, he lifted her up and sat her on the dresser and then settled between her legs.

He knew in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be doing this, she was still healing after all. But the way she reacted to his touch and the way she smelt he didn't think he could stop. Suddenly Zelenia pulled away from his kiss and he let out a low growl at the loss of her lips. He noticed that she was leaning over to blow out the candle. So they would be in the dark…again. He reached out and gently put an arm on her shoulder to stop her.

"Why?" was all he asked. Ever since they started sleeping together she had never let him see her in the light and he could not figure out why. He ruled out shyness, she was anything but. He then thought the worst, that she did not want to see him but he knew she could see perfectly well in the dark so that didn't make sense. Nothing about this woman made sense and it drove him crazy. But that was part of the attraction.

"Because….reasons." she smiled sheepishly. Raph growled in response.

"Hey, I answered the question, just like you wanted. Not my fault you didn't like the answer."

Raph could feel his blood pressure rising, leave it to her to find a loop hole. Leave it to her to both arouse and anger him at the same time. He didn't even know that was possible until her. He remained silent and stared at her.

"Fine!" she half yelled. " Look, having someone see you, you know like that is….it feels kind of venerable." She sighed. "I was trained to never let anyone see weakness, vulnerability and never to trust anyone. I have been sent on lone missions for years now, no back up, If is show weakness or let my guard down, even for someone I think I can trust..I…." and she paused. "Im supposed to have control of the situation at all time, in the dark I have…..an advantage…I guess."

Raph was amazed, she had opened just a little and told him. But he was still shocked by the answer. What did she think he was going to do to her?

"What do you think I'm going to do? Try to kill ya?" He joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

From the look on her face he knew she did not find that funny in the least. The look in her eyes, it was concern and doubt. Did she really think him capable of such a thing. Did she really have that hard of a time trusting someone. Had someone she trusted try to kill her before? That had to be it. Raph decided to change subject, before he dug himself deeper into the hole. Instead he leaned over and blew out the candle. Baby steps, right? Maybe next time.

He suddenly felt himself being pushed backwards, hard. He stumbled back and the back of his knees gave out on the edge of her bed. In an instant, he found himself on his shell with her pinning him down. This was one of his favorite parts, the fight for control. After getting his arms out of her hold he then twists himself so that she is now under him. Grabbing both of her wrists he pins them above her head with one hand. The other gets to work on getting her pants and shirt off. He can his desire intensifying.

" Can we please pick up the pace?" She gasps. He can hear the huskiness in her voice and he lost it. He can't wait any longer, he needed her now.

Raph thrusts into her quickly and unexpectedly. He hears her moan his name, egging him on. His pace is fast and unrelenting. It wasn't long before she tips over the edge with him not far behind. He settles himself beside her and pulls her against his plastron. After he catches his breath he kisses her cheek and nuzzles her hair, taking in the scent. Internally he was kicking himself. She was still recovering; this probably wasn't the best idea. But she didn't seem to be in any pain, in fact she had wanted it that way.

He noticed a change in her breathing and looked over. Just as he had suspected, she was asleep. He felt a sense of excitement, this would be the first time they would spend the whole night together. She promised she would try, and she did.

When the three brothers returned from patrol Mickey went straight to the TV and Donnie went to his lab, leaving Leo alone. He had not seen Raph or Zelenia when he first entered the lair. He told his brothers he would check on them. He did a quick search around the lair and decided they must have gone off to their rooms. He decided to check to make sure. As he got closer, he heard something he wished he hadn't.

It was the distinct sounds of grunts and moans.

He felt a small ping of jealousy. He wasn't jealous over Zelenia, no. In fact he couldn't see how Raph could like someone so abrasive and distrusting. He missed the companionship of having someone. Someone to talk to and love. Donnie had April and now Raph had someone. He had Karai….but she left him.

He walked back to his room and flopped onto his bed.

He had never felt truly alone until now.


	26. Another Side

I am introducing a new OC in this chapter so to save some time with the description I have included a short one below. As always reviews are appreciated. I should be updating this story more often now that Im almost done with grad school. Next chapter is already in progress!

New Character

Name: Aki

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Eye Color: Dark Brown

Hair: Long, black

Body Type: thin

Height: 5'5

Nationality: Japan

Leo groaned as he cupped his face in his hands. Even hiding out in Donnie's lab he could still hear them yelling.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANT DO!" he heard Zelenia yell. Her and Raph had been at this for 30 minutes already, and it was giving him a headache

"WELL EXCUSE ME FOR CARING!" He yelled back.

"IM A GROWN ASS WOMEN I DON'T NEED A BABY SITTER, YOU STUBBORN JACKASS!" She retorted.

Leo wanted to go break up the fight but he knew with those two it would only make it worse. It has been a little over a weeks since Zelenia's near death experience and she recovered very quickly. So much so that she decided that she wanted to go out of the lair tonight and do what she usually does. What ever that happened to be, he wondered. His overprotective brother didn't think that she was ready to leave and told her she wasn't going to go. That's when hell broke lose.

"I put ten on Zelenia." His genius brother joked, as he tinkered with his project.

"At this rate I don't think either of them will "win" this argument, they will probably argue themselves to death" Leo replied, listening to his brother try once again to convince her she wasn't well enough yet.

"HOW ABOUT I KICK YOUR ASS, THAT WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW WELL I AM!" Zelenia threatened.

"Should we go save him?" his brother laughed. How did Donnie find this so hilarious?

He was about to reply when he heard the shouting getting closer to the door. Great they are headed in here now, Leo groaned again.

"Tell him I am just fine!" She snarled at Donnie. She still had her voice raised but at least she was not shouting anymore. Donnie did not like people shouting in his lab, one of his many rules, and she respected that to an extent.

"AND TELL HER SHE IS FUCKING CRAZY IF SHE THINKS SHES GOING OUT THERE TONIGHT AFTER ALMOST DYING A WEEK AGO!" Raph yelled on his way into the lab.

"Look I don't want to get into the middle of this." Donnie started. "But I did a check up this morning and I gave her a clean bill of health. She recovers remarkably fast, Raph."

"HA!" She turned to Raph shouted. "SUCK IT!"

Classy Zelenia, Leo thought.

As she turned to leave out of the lab Raph blocked the door.

"Then Im at least going with you."

"Hell fucking no! Look I appreciate the gesture but I need my space, I need to be alone, without you smothering me." She explained to him, Leo could tell she was trying to remain calm, which surprise him.

Raph didn't move, nor did the say anything.

"Move Raph, or Ill move you." She glared at him. "It would be embarrassing for you to get your ass handed to you in front of your brothers." She said smoothly.

To Leo's surprise he moved and let her through. She started walking out of the lair and Raph turned and walked after her.

"Where are you going? What time will you be back?" He asked.

"Where ever and whenever the fuck I want!" She shouted back, not even turning around to look at him.

Moments later Leo stood by his brother who was still staring at the lair exit.

"You're going to try and follow her aren't you?" Leo inquired.

"Yep." Was all his brother replied.

"Im going with, just in case you run into trouble." Leo said and to his surprise Raph didn't protest.

Two hours…..two hours they searched for her, and not a single sign of her sinced they left the sewers. She covered her tracks well, Leo was impressed and irritated. Leo has suggested they just wait for her to come back, but no that would have been to easy for his brother. Instead they were running around the city aimlessly. Knowing her she was probably watching them, and laughing.

"look, I know you want to find her but this is pointless." Leo tried to reason with him. "It will be morning soon and we both know that she has to be back by then."

"No, you can go if you wanna but I'm lookin." He said flatly.

"She's more than capable of taking care of herself." Leo replied.

"Ya but something was off about her before she left." Raph said

"You mean besides the fact she was yelling at you" Leo said sarcastically. "You know I don't know what you see in her."

"I guess I have seen the other side of her." He growled. "The same side Splinter, April and basically everyone else but you can see."

"Well, if she…" Leo began before getting shushed by Raph. "What?"

"Look" he pointed to the roof of the building across the street from them. Sitting on the edge, her feet dangling 15 stories above the street below. She was slightly leaning over, looking down, like she was contemplating whether she wanted to jump or not.

"What do we do?" Raph whispered. "I think we both know what she's thinkin"

Leo thought for a minute. "Well we can't exactly go over there, we would scare the hell out of her and she would jump or fall."

"That doesn't answer the question." Raph retorted. Leo didn't know what to do about his, any strategy he worked out in his head didn't end well. Just then a slender, dark clothed figure appeared behind her on the roof. He was wondering who the hell it was until the figure spoke.

"Take it from someone who has been where you're at many times, you don't want to do it Aki." The voice he heard was unmistakable, it was Zelenia. She stepped into the light and removed her hood, revealing her face to the strange girl, who apparently, she knew by name.

"You're the last person I thought I would see again." Aki replied coldly, turning her attention back the street below.

"Why?" was all she asked, ignoring the rude tone in Aki's voice. "What happened?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I bet I would, try me." Zelenia said coming closer.

"I cant do it anymore, just sitting here day after day, wondering if this is the day he comes for me." She started to cry. "I cant sleep, eat or even leave my apartment without worrying if today is the day Im going to die."

"I told you not to worry, I told you Im taking care of it." She replied softly. "What your thinking about doing…its just not worth it."

"Don't worry about it?! You will take care of it?!" She yelled at Zelenia. "You shipped me here from Japan over a year ago now, and where the hell have you been huh? Back home?

"Here." She replied. "I have been here, in New York since the day you arrived yourself. I never left."

"Why?" Aki demanded. "Why would you do that?"

Zelenia sighed. "Many reasons. But in this case, I made a promise and I always keep my promises."

There was a long silence between them. Leo watched as the anger left Aki's face and was replaced with sadness.

"How did you do it?" Aki blurted out. "How did you get past everything and move on."

"I had someone very special to me who helped me." She started. "He…uh…found me one night when I was a kid right after I was rescued from the Foot. My father had tired to help but everyday all I could think about is what they did to me. How worthless and shitty I felt. I had enough one night and like you I was about to take that leap. No one would miss me, really.

"What did he do?" Aki asked, turning away from the edge to listen.

She paused. "He showed me a better way, he helped me take that pain and do something good with it it. He gave me a purpose and a reason to live."

"And what was that?" Aki inquired.

"To fight for those who cant fight for themselves. To protect those who need it. To stop what happened to me from happening to anyone else."

Once again there was a long silence. Aki had stopped crying and she seemed deep in thought.

"He got out of jail again, today." She finally spoke. "He may not know where I am now but he will find me."

"I know he was released today. And once again I will take care of it. Besides he won't just show up here, he knows I'm watching" Zelenia replied firmly. Leo wondered what she meant by "take care of it"

"You cant guard me forever, what if he comes around when your not here?" She worried.

"I will….." Zelenia started before getting interrupted.

"What if he comes around during the day? Not like you can really be here then! Or what if he just hires someone again?" Aki had now walked away from the ledge and was now pacing in front of Zelenia nervously. He watched as Zelenia continued to listen to all of her "what ifs" and he could tell she was getting annoyed. Finally she grabbed the young women by the shoulders and made her stop pacing. Aki looked at her in shock, but not fear. Zelenia released her shoulders and put her finger up to her mouth and "shushed" her.

"I got this. I will handle it." She reassured again. "But you are right, what if? Just in case, Ill teach you how to protect yourself."

"I thought you said you would never train another person again." Aki gasped.

"Things change." Zelenia replied.

"Do you think I can do it?" She asked happily. Leo watched how her demeanor took a complete 180, he didn't see the sad girl that he saw 30 minutes before, he saw hope in her eyes.

"I have trained people more pathetic to be skilled ninja, I'm sure you will do just fine." Zelenia assured, in her own way.

"Uhh I guess I will take that as a complement." She gave a small smile. " So when do we start?"

"In a few days, I need to work out a schedule of sorts. Hopefully he will give up once he spends most of his time looking for you in Japan, if not at least that gives us a good amount of time."

"Thank you." She said as she gave Zelenia a hug, something Zelenia did not expect judging by how she tensed up. Zelenia then started to lead her to the door on the roof so she could go back to her apartment. Before Aki disappeared from the door way she had one final question.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"I can sense these things." That was all Zelenia replied before disappearing into the shadows.

Raph and Leo looked at each other for the first time since they set eyes on the girl. They were both relieved and a little shocked about what they had seen. Leo thought back to him and his brother's discussion earlier. He realized that there was more to her than he originally thought, it was difficult for him to admit. She had stopped a young woman from doing the unthinkable and gave her hope for her future. Suddenly, he sensed that someone was behind them and turned around to see Zelenia. She looked pissed.

"Spying on me again?" She hissed at the pair.


	27. Oops

27

Leo couldn't help but smirk as he watched his brother hastily try to explain himself. It was humorous to watch his tough as nails brother get his ass ripped by a woman probably half his size. Leo guest she must have heard him snicker because suddenly turned her attention from his brother to him. The way she looked at him quickly wiped the smirk off his face. As he said many times before, if looks could kill he would be six feet under. He never understood how just one glare from her could send chills down his spine. But it did, and he hated himself for it.

"Look, he's telling the truth. We saw the girl on the ledge and were in the process of figuring out what to do and you showed up. In fact, I told him hours ago, we should just wait till morning but he wouldn't listen, as usual. I had no desire to come chase you around the city. I only came along to make sure he didn't get himself in trouble." Leo quickly explained.

He felt bad about throwing his brother under the bus a little bit at the end but he knew she would not be upset with him long. Him on the other hand was another story. He truly did want to make amends for his past behavior, but with her it was going to take time. His explanation seemed to appease her and she turned her attention back to his brother. As they continued their "discussion" he could tell that this could go on forever. Both were just as hard headed and stubborn as the other and both thought they were right. Their fight quickly got heated again and just like back at the lair, they quickly got on his nerves. He always prided himself on being patient, especially with Raph as a brother, but suddenly he snapped.

"ENOUGH!" Leo yelled, surprising not only the arguing couple but him as well. Silence fell amongst the group for what felt like forever. Suddenly there was the sound of a phone message. What caught Leo's attention was that it wasn't the sound the usually came from their t-phones when they received a text. He watched as Zelenia reached down into the pouch that was attached to her leg and pulled out a small black cell phone. One he had never seen before, and from the questioning look on his brothers face he knew Raph knew nothing about it. She appeared to check the message, sent a one word reply back, and quickly returned the phone to her pouch.

"Where the hell did you get that phone from? Who was that?" His brother quested her before he could.

"I have always had it, do you honestly think I would come half way around the world and not have some way to contact my clan back in Japan? Or leave them without a way to contact me?" She snapped at him.

"Why where you hiding it then?" His brother accused.

"I wasn't hiding it you asshole, just never used it in front of you." She replied angrily, Leo could tell this was going to start another fight, not like the first one ever really ended. But he didn't care about that he was more worried about what the message said.

"What the heck is going on?" Leo directed his question to Zelenia, hoping she would remember her promise to always be honest with him. She wasn't exactly in the best of health and mind when they had their "talk". He watched as she had an internal fight with herself, no doubt wanting to tell him it was none of his business. But to his surprise she didn't, she must have remembered. Instead she asked him to be more specific, probably so she didn't have to say more than she had too.

"whose the women one the ledge, how does she know you, who is after her, and what's the deal with the phone?" Leo managed to get out in one breathe.

"Her name is Aki, we met when we were in Japan when I was sent to protect her from the Foot." She replied.

"Why were the Foot after her? What did she do?" His brother asked.

"She did the right thing. You see she witnessed a crime that could put a high-ranking member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, one of the factions of the Yakuza, in jail for life. You see similar to the Purple dragons, the Yakuza have a business relationship with the Foot clan in Japan. The difference is that the Yakuza are more respected than the Purple Dragons by far, and the Foot clan honor this relationship. You see she refused to be bought off or intimidated, so the Foot clan decided to try and take care of her before the trial date as a sign of partnership."

"Damn." His brother commented.

"Of course, the police in Tokyo could not protect her on their own. So they asked our clan for help. The Hamato clan and the police in Tokyo have a partnership of sorts. You see years ago they figured out that they could not fight the Foot clan alone and realized we were there to help. Given the mutual interest of having that asshole off the streets, we gladly accepted. At the time I had received an injury on a mission and had just gotten back on my feet. Our leader figured that this would be an easy assignment to start back out in the field. Of course, it was anything but."

"Did she testify?" Leo questioned.

"Yes, the asshole went to jail, but like most scum he did not stay there for long. He was supposed to be serving life but was out in less than two years. Probably paid someone off or something."

"And she freaked out because she thinks he is going to kill her." Leo concluded.

"Exactly, but he doesn't know she is here. He still thinks she is somewhere in Japan. Even if he does somehow figure out she is here, he will not just come kill her. He is smart. He knows who I am and he knows I am watching her." She replied.

"But couldn't he just hire some goons or something?" Raph questioned.

"No he would do it himself. Things are different in Japan, crime lords don't hire goons to take care of their business. It's a sign of weakness, if he decides she is still worth killing, he will come himself. A small part of me hopes he does." She smiled.

"Why?" Leo asked confused.

"The message I received. You see this phone is programed so that I can only send and receive messages from one person, our leader. While I am here training with Splinter and working on my own, it does not mean I cant receive orders from Japan. That was the deal I made before I left."

Leo could not believe what he was hearing. But in a way it all made sense.

"So what did the message say?" Leo pried.

"The clan will take care of things in Japan but ff he sets foot in New York before they handle it, my orders are to kill on sight." Zelenia announced. "But until that day, I promised to keep an eye on her. Which is why I was out here tonight. I knew she wasn't going to take the news well, I just didn't think she would take it that bad."

"Let me help." Raph suggested. "I can help watch her place until things work out."

"We all will help." Leo chimed in.

"Look I appreciate the offer, but I can….."

"We know you can." Leo interrupted. "but wouldn't it be safer if there was more than one person watching her? You cant just sit out here from dusk till dawn, what about all the other things you need to do? Also what about during the day?"

Zelenia was quiet as she thought about what he was saying as he laid out his plan. Him and his brothers would take shifts, like they did with patrols. Aki had a job during the day but when she got off in the evenings, April or Casey would keep an eye on the place until sundown. Zelenia thought it was going overboard, still thinking this man wasn't going to do anything, but he convinced her it was better safe than sorry.

"Before we go implementing a plan I need to work out a schedule with Aki." She said. "I did promise to train her, so I would only need someone there on the nights we are not training."

"That's fine, but get one worked out quickly." Leo suggested.

One week later

Leo took position on the building across from Aki's apartment. Tonight was his shift to guard her apartment. Everything had been quiet since last week when "asshole" (which is all Zelenia called him) got out of jail. With the way things worked out only Zelenia, Raph and him guarded her apartment instead of the whole team as planned. Zelenia would train with her from sun down until early morning 3 to 4 nights a week, and Raph would cover from the time she left until sun up, which wasn't very long. On the nights she didn't train, Leo offered to watch her apartment all night. He told his family it was because he could use the time to work on his katas or train but the truth was that he wanted out of the lair.

Everyone there had someone or something to keep them occupied. Donnie had April and his lab, Raph had Zelenia (sort of), Mickey had his games and comics, and he….well had nothing. When him and his brothers were teens they would spend most of their time together, but now as adults they had their own lives and interests. Leo quickly realized a couple of years ago that he didn't have a life outside leading the team. He had convinced himself that it was all he ever needed to make him happy, especially after Karai left, but he was wrong.

Two hours into his shift and still quiet as ever. He had patrolled the area many times and not even so much as a barking dog. He returned to his previous position and continued to watch her apartment. She was up late, as usual. Most people would be in bed at midnight but not her. He did not know if this was a normal schedule for her or because she was still worried about "asshole".

Suddenly a loud crash and loud pitch scream jarred him from his thoughts. It did not take long for him to figure out that it came from Aki's apartment. He did not see anyone enter her apartment from the windows or fire escape but that did not rule out someone breaking in her front door. He quickly descended the building he was on, climbed up her fire escape, and without a second thought busted through her Livingroom window.

He expected to be greeted with hired thugs but instead he was greeted with a young woman screaming and throwing various object at his head. He managed to avoid almost all of them. Over the years he had dodged many attacks including bullets, lazers and any other weapon imaginable. So it was understandable that he was surprised when she hit him square in the head with a coffee cup, causing it to shatter and stun him. As he fell to the ground holding his head, he finally realized what she was screaming in Japanese. He didn't catch most of it but what he did pick up on was "yokai" and "kappa" and something about her being cursed.

"IM NOT A DEMON! ZELENIA SENT ME!" He yelled, hoping the mention of her friend would make her stop throwing things, and it did. Leo then stood up and faced the terrified women, and he felt his heart jump into his throat. She was beautiful, he didn't get a good look at her a week ago on the roof because it was dark, but now he couldn't help but stare at her. She stood before him in really short pajama bottoms and a thin spaghetti strap top, holding a plate that she was getting ready to throw at him.

"Hhh..how do you know Zelenia?" Her voice trembling as she asked in English. She slowly started to scan the room possibly looking for a way to flee or another weapon besides her dishes.

"Shes a friend." Leo said in a calm voice. The last thing he needed was for her to have a panic attack or faint. Zelenia would have his shell for spooking her more than she already was this week. "I have been helping her watch your apartment, making sure nothing happens."

"Then why the hell are you in my home!" She hissed. "Breaking through my window and scaring the crap out of me!"

"I heard a crash and your scream." Leo rushed to explain himself. "I thought someone was here to hurt you, I see now that was not the case."

Leo quickly spotted the source of the crash he heard. In her small kitchen, there was a large shelf that had clearly collapsed. On it was many of her cooking supplies and some dishes. When the shelf collapsed, the resulting sound scared her and she screamed. Leo began to kick himself for being so careless and overreacting without assessing the situation. He had revealed himself unnecessarily, his brothers were never going to let him live this down.

"Tell me something about Zelenia, something you would only know if you really knew her." She demanded.

Well shit, Leo cursed. He didn't know much about her honestly. She didn't reviel much to him and up until a few weeks ago he didn't care to know.

"well, uhh I , shes moody, secretive and doesn't talk much. Shes got superhuman strength, these black eyes that can pierce ones soul. As for personal information, she wont talk about herself, at least not with me." He started, still trying to come up with more.

"Sounds like her." She smiled slightly, but still not letting her guard down. "She is not much of a talker. But why did she send you?"

"I offered to help when she wasn't able to be here." Leo explained honestly. "I figured it would be better to have more coverage until things are settled with this person who wants you dead."

With that final statement, she finally relaxed a little and put her "weapon" down. He finally got her to believe that he was not here to hurt her and he was relieved. Now she studied him for a time. He could tell that she was still confused and a little shocked about having a giant humanoid turtle in front of her. But she tried not to let it show, it wasn't long before she spoke.

"The shelf fell again." She said weakly. "I have asked the maintaince man to secure it better last time but he never did. I have been a little jumpy lately so when it crashed I screamed."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Without saying a word, she pointed him over to her closet, as she grabbed a robe off of her chair. He quickly retreated inside the tiny room and listened to what was being said. A neighbor had heard the crash and screaming and he came to see if she was ok. Aki, without missing a beat, explained that a giant rat got into her apartment and she panicked. She explained that she threw things at the intruder and that was why she was screaming and why her dishes were all around her Livingroom. The neighbor offered to help her clean up but she told him that she was fine, and he left.

"Giant rat, huh?" Leo chuckled as he stepped out of the closet.

" The size of the rodents in this town would scare anyone." She smiled. If only she knew, he thought to himself.

The next three hours went by fast, to fast for Leo. They talked non-stop as he helped her clean her apartment, fix her shelf, and give her window a temporary fix. He told her the story about how he and his brothers went from pet store turtles to what they are now. She had hundreds of questions and he didn't mind answering (to an extent of course since they just met). The only thing he didn't mention was that his father was a huge humanoid rat. She had explained earlier that she had a fear of rodents and that is why she the neighbor, Mike, believed her story. He would work up to that.

As the night came to an end Leo found himself not wanting to leave. It was strange feeling for him, he had just met this woman but he felt an instant connection. She was similar to him in many ways and she did not seem disgusted by the way he looked like most people.

When he left that night, he knew two things: One he would be coming back as soon as he could, and two Zelenia could never know he messed up (mostly because he was embarrassed). At least for now.


	28. Chapter 28

**First, I would like to say I'm sorry for temporarily abandoning this story. The last two months have been rather crazy for me and my family. Some good things have happened, such as moving to a new house, and other things that are not so great. My goal is to have this story wrapped up by the end of the summer and maybe start another story. Comments, review, Kudos,** ect **are all appreciated. Thank you!**

Leo quickly made his way over to Aki's apartment. It had been almost two weeks since he busted through her window, and he was happy he did. He spent as much time as he could with her since. It wasn't because he was beautiful, there was no denying she was, but she gave him something he hadn't felt in forever. She made him feel great about himself and he liked it. Unlike his brothers who thought he was lame or boring, she thought he was the most interesting person she had ever met. She had grown up in a small village in the countryside of Japan. Her family were farmers and as she said more than once "nothing ever happened". She told him this is what originally drove her to move to Tokyo. So when he told her about his many adventures, she hung on to every word, she was fascinated by him and his life.

He was about two blocks away when he felt his phone vibrate. He stopped to check the message.

Aki: I will be late, 15 to 20 mins at the most

Leo: Ok, no problem is everything ok

Aki: I think I sprained my ankle. I will tell you more when I see you

He waited for her to return home. Finally, 30 minutes later he saw her Livingroom lights turn on. This was his signal and he climbed down the fire escape and went through the newly replaced window. Aki sat on the couch, covered in sweat and dirt, holding her ankle. She had scratches and bruises all over her body, and it made him upset.

"What happened?" He asked as he went to the kitchen to get her some ice.

"I fell while training." She then turned her eyes away from him. "Off a building."

Leo listened to her as he started treating her ankle. She had been running across roof tops when she started to get tired. She was tried to make a jump from one building to another and didn't quite make it. She was able to slow her fall by grabbing a window seal half way down and falling from there. While he finished wrapping her ankle he found it difficult to hide his anger. How could Zelenia push her this hard. She had been training for only a week and a half and she had Aki running 5 miles a night minimum, some of which was spent sprinting across roof tops and whatever crazy course Zelenia came up with.

He was protective by nature, sometimes over protective. He found himself getting more and more angry with her. How could Zelenia be so irresponsible and careless? She was pushing Aki to fast, too soon. She was going to get her hurt, well more than she already was!

"Leo?" Aki spoke softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Leo tried to hide his anger but it was no use around Aki. She was very good at sensing people's emotions and moods, or at least his.

"Zelenia…..she doesn't….uh….think about… she's always…." Leo tried to find the right words to use. He knew Aki thought highly of Zelenia so he had to tread lightly.

"I know you don't have a high opinion of her" She began " But I want to tell you something my grandmother said once that changed my view on the world."

"Okay." Leo said as he sat on the couch next to her.

"You see there was this boy in the village. He was not the nicest person and he was really annoying. He used to make me so mad and one day I came home and told my grandmother about him. I asked my grandmother what was wrong with him, why was he such a jerk. My grandmother then told me about his parents, they were terrible to him. She then told me that instead of asking what is wrong with someone I should ask what has happened to them to make them this way."

Aki's words slowly sank in. He thought about everything that annoyed him about Zelenia: her distrust of everyone, her lack of emotions, her general sour attitude, among other things. _So Zelenia, what has happened to you to make you this way?_ He asked himself. He knew a few things but there had to be more to it, right?

"Now ask yourself one more thing." Aki suggested "Instead of criticizing everything someone does, have you thought about why they do it?"

Leo's mind was blown by her words. He had never stopped and asked why people do the things they do, or why they act certain ways.

"How long did it take for you to learn enough ninjutsu to be able to defend yourself effectively?" She asked suddenly.

"Well to fight off basic street thugs I'd say 6 months, that's basic self defense. It took years of training to be able to fight the foot ninjas." Leo replied, wondering where she was going with this.

"I don't have six months or more Leo, and the man that is after me isn't some common street thug. If he does decide to come find me when you guys are not around I have two options: fight or run. Fighting is only going to get me killed at this stage so really the only option that makes sense is running until I get help. She's teaching me to how to get away as fast as possible using the environment to my advantage."

Damn, he thought to himself as he buried his face in his hands, he never thought about any of that. Now he felt like a jerk, again. He was also embarrassed now.

"I know she's a little hard to handle sometimes, trust me." She reassured him. "Shes crude, and seemingly uncaring, even completely emotionless at times."

Leo looked at her shocked by her words, wasn't she just defending her?

"But under all that there is the most caring and compassionate person I have ever met." She continued. "A person who is willing to protect a total stranger from harm, even willing to give her life in the process. A person who keeps her promises even if it means…."

A silence fell between the pair and Leo did not enjoy the awkwardness of the situation. He could feel that she wanted him to say something but he didn't know what. Why were women so complicated?

"Given the circumstances, I was a good strategy." Leo finally admitted.

"Well that's one thing she is best at, given her position." She snorted.

"What do you mean?" Leo inquired

"She was…well still is…..a member of the Erito. Strategy and skill are key abilities for the Erito and many people agreed that her tactical brilliance lead to higher success rates." She answered with a smile.

"What is that?" Leo asked confused. He had never heard of the "Erito".

"You don't know?" She replied, she seemed shocked he did not know who they were. "I figured that you would being a member of the Hamato Clan, but now that I think about it I can see how you wouldn't."

"Yeah, until Zelenia showed up we did not know that there were still members of the Hamato clan left in Tokyo." Leo replied. "So, who are they?"

"The Erito are a group of elite ranking ninja among the Clan. They are the best of the best. They receive special training and are sent on the most important and dangerous missions. That's why there isn't many of them left, sadly." She answered.

"So how do you know all of this? It doesn't seem like something Zelenia would share." He inquired.

"When I first saw Zelenia, I must admit she gave me a scare. Especially her black eyes, I thought she may be a demon or something. But after I got to know her a little, it did not bother me anymore. Now normally I would not condone eavesdropping" she blushed from embarrassment. "But I had to know more, so while I was at the safe houses I would listen in on conversations about her. Especially after she would come check in on me."

"You found all this out by listening to other people's private conversations?" He asked, almost impressed that she could gather this information by herself.

"Well I also made some inquiries directly. You know they say girls gossip the most, but I think men are more "loose-lipped"." She giggled. Leo watched as she sat up on the couch and attempted to get up.

"Woah, where are you going, you need to stay off your ankle for a bit." He reminded.

"I was going to get me something to drink." She replied. "And possibly something to eat."

"You rest, Ill get it." Leo offered.

"Awwwe, your such a gentleman" She mused.

Leo then went into the kitchen to get some hot tea started. He then started to forage for something to eat. Unfortunately, there was not many options, since she had not left the house to go shopping in a while. Luckily, arrangements had been made and April was going to pick her up some items from the store soon. It hurt Leo to know that even during the day, she still did not feel safe going outside. It was almost like she was a prisoner in her own home. He wished he could make it all go away, make her feel safe again. But through it all she kept the same happy and bright attitude.

As he thought about his time with Aki his mind wondered back to their conversation about Zelenia. The information he learned tonight should have put his mind more at rest but it only made him worry more. Yes, she had saved Aki many times and apparently earned her respect. But he also learned that she was apart of some elite group, so that makes her more dangerous than he thought. What if….?

No, he thought to himself. He had to shake those thoughts from his head. Everyone else seemed to trust her, why couldn't he? Something was off about her he could sense it, but what could it be? He could tell she was still hiding something from him, but could it be that bad? Splinter trusted her, so that should be good enough for him. But Splinter also told him to always trust his gut.

His gut was telling him there was more to her. She was hiding something and he intended to find out what it was, no matter what.

"Are you ok in there? You have gotten quiet." Aki shouted from the Livingroom.

"I'll be there in just a second." Leo responded quickly.

As the night went on Leo mind still wondered back to Zelenia and this mysterious group called the Erito. His gut told him something was off about her and this situation and he was going to find out what.


	29. Happy Mutation Day

30

Happy Mutation Day?

Three Weeks Later

25….this would be his 25th mutation day, as they called it. Raph couldn't believe that ten years ago today they made the trip up to the surface for the first time. It was the day their life changed forever, in a good way, for the most part and tonight, they had planned a small party to celebrate.

Unfortunately, Zelenia had been disappearing every few days and he had not seen her today at all. It was starting to annoy him to no end, mostly because she would just leave and not tell him. Now he finally knew how Leo felt all those years when he would storm out and not tell anyone where he was going.

"Maybe this is karma." Raph chuckled to himself.

But this was slightly different, he felt that she was intentionally avoiding the lair the last two days and he could not figure out why. Luckily, she had to return when the sun came up so that was a relief. They had been doing rather well, by their standards. He felt that she was starting to warm up to the idea of actually being together instead of having this "arraignment" as she kept referring to it. He didn't not see her issue, they basically do everything a couple does right?

He hoped that she would make it to the dinner tonight. Every year they would have dinner with their family and Micky would bake a cake. After dinner, and when Splinter went to bed, the real fun began. He had no clue what exactly they would be doing this year. Casey had decided that he was going to plan something "big" as a present. God knows what that means. But, without her it wouldn't feel right. He stared at his phone again, no response. He had asked her hours ago if she was going to make it. It was then he heard the knock at his door, was it her?

"Hey, Raph?" asked Leo. " Can I come in?"

"Damn it" he whispered to himself. Of course it was Fearless.

"What?" Raph growled as he got up to open his bedroom door.

"Are you coming out to join us?" Leo asked, as Raph stuck his head through the door.

"In a minute." Raph replied as he glanced back at his phone.

"April went to go get her." Leo stated, knowing what his brother was waiting for.

"She what?"

"Yeah, she went to go get her for the party. So don't worry, if anyone can make Zelenia do something she doesn't want to do its April." Leo joked. "Now, since April is out chasing your _girlfriend_ down, I need your help getting Donnie out of his lab."

"Hes still locked up in there?" Raph questioned.

"Yeah, once again his working on a big project and you know how he gets. Its practically impossible to tear his away from his work." Leo ranted. "April can usually get his attention but she isn't here."

"Fine, lets go save the nerd from himself." Raph chuckled.

When they walked into the lab they were met with a disturbing sight. Covering many of his work tables were vials. Vials filled with blood, that's right blood. And there was even more in the cooler. Or that's what Raph assumed it was, they had seen enough of it in their lives.

"Jesus Christ, Donnie." Raph exclaimed. "What the fuck are you working on in here!"

"Language, Raph." Leo reminded him. "But Donnie what is all this? Im assuming this is blood but whose?"

"Oh, umm its Zelenia's" He replied quietly.

"WHAT!" Raph shrieked. "What are you doing with her blood?"

"Calm down Raph." Leo said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Donnie why are you experimenting with her blood?"

"Well, I was curious about her healing factor being so high, amongst other things about her powers. She allowed me to take samples of her blood and I discovered something amazing. Her body produces an enzyme I have never seen before, the enzyme is responsible for speeding up her healing."

"Woah, dudes why does it look like a horror film in here." Micky gasped as he walked into the lab. "HAS DONNIE FINALLY GONE ALL MAD SCIENTIST ON US!"

"Anyway" Donnie continued as he ignored his brother. "I figured out a way to isolate this enzyme from her blood, but it takes quite a lot to get a small amount. Luckily, she replaces it at an extremely fast rate, so I can collect more in a short amount of time."

"But why would you want to?" Leo asked, still confused. " I mean I understand in case she needs a blood transfusion but not this much."

"Here let me show you." Donnie smiled as he went over to one of his refrigerators. He pulled out a small vial of yellow fluid. "Leo, remember when you cut yourself during training yesterday. Could you unwrap that cut for me please?"

Leo gave him a skeptical look but, did as he was asked. He watched as Donnie took a dropper of the strange yellow fluid and then put one drop on his cut. To their amazement his cut started to heal in front of their eyes, not all the way, but it was noticeable.

"Dude, that is epic!" Micky exclaimed.

"Woah." Was all Leo could say, he now knew why his genius brother was so obsessed with this project. Raph on the other hand was still not happy about Zelenia being turned into a science experiment.

"Like I said it takes a lot of blood to get a small amount of this enzyme. And it doesn't work as well as it does on her. But it can do more than just heal wounds. Its also, as far as we know, a universal antidote for any toxin. It attacks toxins and eliminates them from the blood stream."

"And how exactly did you figure this out, Donnie" Raph growled. When he saw his brothers, eyes widen like saucers he knew his answer, he had poisoned her or something like that. He did something to her that he didn't want Raph to know about.

"Its uhh umm not exactly what you think, Raph" He stammered as he backed away.

"She's is NOT SOME KIND OF EXPERIMENT DONNIE SHE'S…"

"She can make her own choices Raphael!" Zelenia interrupted. "And for your information, I was the first one to come to Donnie to get some answers. It's not like this curse…."

"Gift" April corrected from the doorway behind her.

"Gift, whatever. This gift didn't come with an instruction manual on how it works. I have always been curios and your brother is helping me find the answers. Plus, he found something that could benefit everyone, so I asked him to continue."

"But…" Raph started.

"But nothing, its my choice not yours." She hissed. " So butt out!"

Raph didn't know what to say. He was happy she had arrived, but he didn't think this was a good idea. Well he didn't like the idea of someone using her as an experiment, even if it was his own brother. But what was he going to do or say? He knew by now she was just as, if not more, stubborn than him and once she put her foot down there was no changing her mind. So they all stood there in awkward silence. No one wanting to get involved in what Mikey kept calling their "lover quarrels". But it was the orange banded turtle who finally spoke up.

"Well…uh im gona go check on dinner and…that stuff…so time to get to the kitchen." He said as he ran out of the room.

"Yeah lets go help him" April announce as she dragged Donnie out of the room reluctantly.

"And I better go set the table…..or something." Leo murmured as he vanished from the room. And with that Raph was left alone with Zelenia, normally he would be happy about this but she did not look like she was amused.

"I'm glad you're here." He said nervously, trying to change the subject. He felt relief when he saw her expression soften.

"Look I appreciate the concern, I really do." She stressed. "but I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but that does not stop me from worrying about you." He explained

"Your brother wouldn't do anything that would hurt me, have a little more faith in him." She smirked

"Yeah, I know…"

"Oh and happy birthday…..well mutation day" She smiled slightly.

"Thank you. Speaking of which we better get out there before they think we killed each other." He laughed. He watched as her expression changed again to something more serious, focused. It wasn't long before he figured out why.

At first Zelenia was hesitant to join the "festivities" for some unknown reason. When the party started she hung out in the corner of the room with her back against the wall…just observing them. But after some reassurance and a pep talk from April she joined them and was having a great time. That was until their little brother, Mikey, had to open his mouth and ask her about her own birthday.

"So Zelenia, you have never told us when your birthday is." Mikey said as he served them dessert.

"Doesn't matter." She stated flatly. Raph saw her tense up and knew this was an uncomfortable subject for some reason. He should have told Mikey to back off then but he too was curious.

"Well of course it does silly. How are we going to celebrate it if we don't know when it is?" Mikey smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Mikey." Her tone changed, she said it almost as a warning. It was then he saw April motioning behind Zelenia. She was signaling him to cut it out, to stop talking, to stop what he was doing. But Mikey did not understand or did not care about her warning.

"Uh Mikey, maybe we should talk about this later." Donnie jumped in.

"Why its just a simple question." Leo stated, obviously not listening to Aprils nonverbal gestures either.

"Yea, so come on when is it, Z" Micky piped up again.

"I..ah…don't know." She said quietly, as she fidgeted with her fork.

"uhh yeah, so what are the plans for this evening." April interrupted, Raph could tell she was desperate to try and change the subject.

"Woah, what do you mean you don't know?" Casey chimed in finally.

"Yeah dude, that's a lame excuse for not telling us." Mikey said.

"Its not an excuse." She hissed.

"Ok, lets just drop it." Raph warned his little brother

"Well if its not an excuse, how do you not know your birthday?" Mikey continued dispite his warnings

"BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER!" She screamed as she stood up and slammed her hand on the table. The room fell silent after her sudden outburst.

"My dear, why don't you go take a walk." Splinter suggested as he entered the room. Without saying another word he watched Zelenia leave the lair without even looking back.

"I didn't know, I mean…how…" Mikey stammered, feeling bad about making her upset.

"Its ok my son." Splinter reassured him. "It is not your fault."

"Father, what did she mean. Why can't she remember her birthday, it seems like something you don't just forget." Leo asked.

"Because." Splinter sighed. "She had most of her memory erased by the Foot."


End file.
